iU^vsanfmmStn''.Kn.'iu-nii*\:ei.t.rv:itintirmvir!v^»f'nr>.rimH^ 


THE  EBB-TIDfl'BT  ! 

ROBERT  tOVlS  5TEVEN50N 
AND  LLOYD   OJdOUF.    ■. 


THE  EBB  TIDE 

A  TRIO    Sr    QUARTETTE 

BY 

ROBERT  LOUIS  STEVENSON 
LLOYD   OSBOURNE 


'There  is  a  tide 
in  the  affairs  of  men.' 


STONE  &  KIMBALL 
CHICAGO  &  CAMBRIDGE 

M  DCCCXC  IV 


COPYRIGHT,     1893,    BY 

ROBERT    LOUIS    STEVENSON 

AND    LLOYD    OSBOURNE 


CONTENTS. 


PART    I.  — THE    TRIO. 

Chapter  Page 

I.    Night  on  the  Beach 9 

II.    Morning  on  the  Beach.  —  The  Three 

Letters 26 

III.  The  Old  Calaboose.  —  Destiny  at  the 

Door 39 

IV.  The  Yellow  Flag 53 

V.    The  Cargo  of  Champagne 62 

VI.    The  Partners 93 


PART    II.  — THE    QUARTETTE. 

VII.  The  Pearl  Fisher 106 

VIII.  Better  Acquaintance 126 

IX.  The  Dinner  Party 144 

X.  The  Open  Door 157 

XI.  David  and  Goliath 174 

XII.  A  Tailpiece 201 


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The  Ebb  Tide. 

A   TRIO   AND   QUARTETTE. 


PART    I.  — THE   TRIO. 


CHAPTER   I. 

NIGHT   ON   THE   BEACH. 

Throughout  the  island  world  of  the  Pa- 
cific,  scattered  men  of  many  European  races  and 
from  almost  every  grade  of  society  carry  activity 
and  disseminate  disease.  Some  prosper,  some 
vegetate.  Some  have  mounted  the  steps  of  thrones 
and  owned  islands  and  navies.  Others,  again,  must 
marry  for  a  livelihood  ;  a  strapping,  merry,  choco- 
late-colored dame  supports  them  in  sheer  idleness ; 
and  dressed  like  natives,  but  still  retaining  some 
foreign  element  of  gait  or  attitude,  still  perhaps 
with  some  relic  (such  as  a  single  eye-glass)  of  the 
officer  and  gentleman,  they  sprawl  in  palm-leaf  ve- 
randas, and  entertain  an  island  audience  with  me- 
moirs of  the  music-hall.     And  there  are  still  others. 


10  THE   EBB   TIDE. 

less  pliable,  less  capable,  less  fortunate,  perhaps 
less  base,  who  continue,  even  in  these  isles  of 
plenty,  to  lack  bread. 

At  the  far  end  of  the  town  of  Papeete,  three 
such  men  were  seated  on  the  beach,  under  2ipurao 
tree. 

It  was  late.  Long  ago  the  band  had  broken  up 
and  marched  musically  home,  a  motley  troop  of 
men  and  women,  merchant  clerks  and  navy  officers 
dancing  in  its  wake,  arms  about  waist  and  crowned 
with  garlands.  Long  ago  darkness  and  silence 
had  gone  from  house  to  house  about  the  tiny 
pagan  city.  Only  the  street  lamps  shone  on,  mak- 
ing a  glow-worm  halo  in  the  umbrageous  alleys,  or 
drawing  a  tremulous  image  on  the  waters  of  the 
port.  A  sound  of  snoring  ran  among  the  piles 
of  lumber  by  the  Government  pier.  It  was 
wafted  ashore  from  the  graceful,  clipper-bottomed 
schooners,  where  they  lay  moored  close  in  like 
dinghies,  and  their  crews  were  stretched  upon  the 
deck,  under  the  open  sky,  or  huddled  in  a  rude 
tent  amidst  the  disorder  of  merchandise. 

But  the  men  under  the  purao  had  no  thought  of 
sleep.  The  same  temperature  in  England  would 
have  passed  without  remark  in  summer ;  but  it  was 
bitter  cold  for  the  South  Seas.  Inanimate  nature 
knew  it,  and  the  bottle  of  cocoanut  oil  stood  frozen 
in  every  bird-cage  house  about  the  island  ;  and  the 
men  knew  it,  and  shivered.  They  wore  flimsy  cot- 
ton clothes,  the  same  they  had  sweated  in  by  day 
and  run  the  gantlet  of  the  tropic  showers ;   and  to 


NIGHT   ON   THE   BEACH.  II 

complete  their  evil  case,  they  had  had  no  break- 
fast to  mention,  less  dinner,  and  no  supper  at  all. 

In  the  telHng  South  Sea  phrase,  these  three  men 
were  on  the  beach.  Common  calamity  had  brought 
them  acquainted,  as  the  three  most  miserable  Eng- 
lish-speaking creatures  in  Tahiti ;  and  beyond  their 
misery,  they  knew  next  to  nothing  of  each  other, 
not  even  their  true  names.  For  each  had  made  a 
long  apprenticeship  in  going  downward ;  and  each, 
at  some  stage  of  the  descent,  had  been  shamed  into 
the  adoption  of  an  alias.  And  yet  not  one  of  them 
had  figured  in  a  court  of  justice.  Two  were  men 
of  kindly  virtues  ;  and  one,  as  he  sat  and  shivered 
under  the  purao^  had  a  tattered  Virgil  in  his 
pocket. 

Certainly,  if  money  could  have  been  raised  upon 
the  book,  Robert  Herrick  would  long  ago  have 
sacrificed  that  last  possession.  But  the  demand 
for  literature,  which  is  so  marked  a  feature  in  some 
parts  of  the  South  Seas,  extends  not  so  far  as  the 
dead  tongues ;  and  the  Virgil,  which  he  could  not 
exchange  against  a  meal,  had  often  consoled  him 
in  his  hunger.  He  would  study  it,  as  he  lay  with 
tightened  belt  on  the  floor  of  the  old  calaboose, 
seeking  favorite  passages,  and  finding  new  ones 
only  less  beautiful  because  they  lacked  the  conse- 
cration of  remembrance.  Or  he  would  pause  on 
random  country  walks,  sit  on  the  pathside,  gazing 
over  the  sea,  on  the  mountains  of  Eimeo,  and  dip 
into  the  .(Eneid,  seeking  sortes.  And  if  the  oracle 
(as  is  the  way  of  oracles)  replied  with  no  very  cer- 

UNTVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRAfTK 


12  THE   EBB   TIDE. 

tain  or  encouraging  voice,  visions  of  England,  at 
least,  would  throng  upon  the  exile's  memory,  —  the 
busy  schoolroom ;  the  green  playing-fields ;  holidays 
at  home,  and  the  perennial  roar  of  London ;  and  the 
fireside,  and  the  white  head  of  his  father.  For  it 
is  the  destiny  of  those  grave,  restrained,  and  clas- 
sic writers,  with  whom  we  make  enforced  and  often 
painful  acquaintanceship  at  school,  to  pass  into  the 
blood  and  become  native  in  the  memory  ;  so  that  a 
phrase  of  Virgil  speaks  not  so  much  of  Mantua  or 
Augustus,  but  of  English  places  and  the  student's 
own  irrevocable  youth. 

Robert  Herrick  was  the  son  of  an  intelligent,  ac- 
tive, and  ambitious  man,  small  partner  in  a  consid- 
erable London  house.  Hopes  were  conceived  of 
the  boy ;  he  was  sent  to  a  good  school,  gained  there 
an  Oxford  scholarship,  and  proceeded  in  course  to 
the  Western  university.  With  all  his  talent  and 
taste  (and  he  had  much  of  both)  Robert  was  defi- 
cient in  consistency  and  intellectual  manhood, 
wandered  in  by-paths  of  study,  worked  at  music 
or  at  metaphysics  when  he  should  have  been  at 
Greek,  and  took  at  last  a  paltry  degree.  Almost 
at  the  same  time  the  London  house  was  disas- 
trously  wound  up;  Mr.  Herrick  must  begin  the 
world  again  as  a  clerk  in  a  strange  office,  and 
Robert  relinquish  his  ambitions,  and  accept  with 
gratitude  a  career  that  he  detested  and  despised. 
He  had  no  head  for  figures,  no  interest  in  affairs, 
detested  the  constraint  of  hours,  and  despised  the 
aims  and  the  success  of  merchants.     To  ecrow  rich 


NIGHT   ON   THE   BEACH.  13 

was  none  of  his  ambitions ;  rather  to  do  well.  A 
worse  or  a  more  bold  young  man  would  have  re- 
fused the  destiny ;  perhaps  tried  his  fortune  with 
his  pen  ;  perhaps  enlisted.  Robert,  more  prudent, 
possibly  more  timid,  consented  to  embrace  that 
way  of  life  in  which  he  could  most  readily  assist 
his  family.  But  he  did  so  with  a  mind  divided ; 
fled  the  neighborhood  of  former  comrades,  and 
chose,  out  of  several  positions  placed  at  his  dis- 
posal, a  clerkship  in  New  York. 

His  career  thenceforth  was  one  of  unbroken 
shame.  He  did  not  drink,  he  was  exactly  honest, 
he  was  never  rude  to  his  employers,  yet  was  every- 
where discharged.  Bringing  no  interest  to  his 
duties,  he  brought  no  attention;  his  day  was  a 
tissue  of  things  neglected  and  things  done  amiss ; 
and  from  place  to  place,  and  from  town  to  town, 
he  carried  the  character  of  one  thoroughly  incom- 
petent. No  man  can  hear  the  word  applied  to  him 
without  some  flush  of  color,  as  indeed  there  is  none 
other  that  so  emphatically  slams  in  a  man's  face 
the  door  of  self-respect.  And  to  Herrick,  who  was 
conscious  of  talents  and  acquirements,  who  looked 
down  upon  those  humble  duties  in  which  he  was 
found  wanting,  the  pain  was  the  more  exquisite. 
Early  in  his  fall  he  had  ceased  to  be  able  to  make 
remittances ;  shortly  after,  having  nothing  but  fail- 
ure to  communicate,  he  ceased  writing  home  ;  and 
about  a  year  before  his  tale  begins,  turned  suddenly 
upon  the  streets  of  San  Francisco  by  a  vulgar  and 
infuriated   German  Jew,  he  had  broken  the  last 


14  THE   EBB   TIDE. 

bonds  of  self-respect,  and  upon  a  sudden  impulse, 
changed  his  name,  and  invested  his  last  dollar  in  a 
passage  on  the  mail  brigantine,  the  "  City  of  Pa- 
peete." With  what  expectation  he  had  trimmed 
his  flight  for  the  South  Seas,  Herrick  perhaps 
scarcely  knew.  Doubtless  there  were  fortunes  to 
be  made  in  pearl  and  copra ;  doubtless  others,  not 
more  gifted  than  himself,  had  climbed  in  the  island 
world  to  be  queens'  consorts  and  kings'  ministers. 
But  if  Herrick  had  gone  there  with  any  manful 
purpose,  he  would  have  kept  his  father's  name; 
the  alias  betrayed  his  moral  bankruptcy ;  he  had 
struck  his  flag ;  he  entertained  no  hope  to  reinstate 
himself  or  help  his  straitened  family ;  and  he  came 
to  the  islands  (where  he  knew  the  climate  to  be 
soft,  bread  cheap,  and  manners  easy)  a  skulker 
from  life's  battle  and  his  own  immediate  duty. 
Failure,  he  had  said,  was  his  portion ;  let  it  be  a 
pleasant  failure. 

It  is  fortunately  not  enough  to  say,  "  I  will  be 
base."  Herrick  continued  in  the  islands  his  career 
of  failure;  but  in  the  new  scene,  and  under  the 
new  name,  he  suffered  no  less  sharply  than  before. 
A  place  was  got,  it  was  lost  in  the  old  style.  From 
the  long-suffering  of  the  keepers  of  restaurants,  he 
fell  to  more  open  charity  upon  the  wayside ;  as 
time  went  on,  good  nature  became  weary,  and, 
after  a  repulse  or  two,  Herrick  became  shy. 
There  were  women  enough  who  would  have  sup- 
ported a  far  worse  and  a  far  uglier  man ;  Herrick 
never  met  or  never  knew  them ;  or  if  he  did  both. 


NIGHT   ON   THE   BEACH. 


15 


some  manlier  feeling  would  revolt,  and  he  preferred 
starvation.  Drenched  with  rains,  broiling  by  day, 
shivering  by  night,  a  disused  and  ruinous  prison 
for  a  bedroom,  his  diet  begged  or  pilfered  out  of 
rubbish  heaps,  his  associates  two  creatures  equally 
outcast  with  himself,  he  had  drained  for  months 
the  cup  of  penitence.  He  had  known  what  it  was 
to  be  resigned,  what  it  was  to  break  forth  in  a 
childish  fury  of  rebellion  against  fate,  and  what  it 
was  to  sink  into  the  coma  of  despair.  The  time 
had  changed  him.  He  told  himself  no  longer 
tales  of  an  easy  and  perhaps  agreeable  declen- 
sion ;  he  read  his  nature  otherwise ;  he  had  proved 
himself  incapable  of  rising,  and  he  now  learned  by 
experience  that  he  could  not  stoop  to  fall.  Some- 
thing that  was  scarcely  pride  or  strength,  that  was 
perhaps  only  refinement,  withheld  him  from  capitu- 
lation ;  but  he  looked  on  upon  his  own  misfortune 
with  a  growing  rage,  and  sometimes  wondered  at 
his  patience. 

It  was  now  the  fourth  month  completed,  and 
still  there  was  no  change  or  sign  of  change.  The 
moon,  racing  through  a  world  of  flying  clouds  of 
every  size  and  shape  and  density,  some  black  as 
inkstains,  some  delicate  as  lawn,  threw  the  marvel 
of  her  Southern  brightness  over  the  same  lovely 
and  detested  scene,  —  the  island  mountains  crowned 
with  the  perennial  island  cloud,  the  embowered 
city  studded  with  rare  lamps,  the  masts  in  the 
harbor,  the  smooth  mirror  of  the  lagoon,  and  the 
mole  of  the  barrier-reef  on  which  the  breakers 


1 6  THE   EBB   TIDE. 

whitened.  The  moon  shone,  too,  with  bull's-eye 
sweeps,  on  his  companions,  —  on  the  stalwart  frame 
of  the  American  who  called  himself  Brown,  and 
was  known  to  be  a  master-mariner  in  some  dis- 
grace ;  and  on  the  dwarfish  person,  the  pale  eyes, 
and  toothless  smile  of  a  vulgar  and  bad-hearted 
cockney  clerk.  Here  was  society  for  Robert  Her- 
rick  !  The  Yankee  skipper  was  a  man  at  least ;  he 
had  sterling  qualities  of  tenderness  and  resolution ; 
he  was  one  whose  hand  you  could  take  without  a 
blush.  But  there  was  no  redeeming  grace  about 
the  other,  who  called  himself  sometimes  Hay  and 
sometimes  Tomkins,  and  laughed  at  the  discrep- 
ancy; who  had  been  employed  in  every  store  in 
Papeete,  for  the  creature  was  able  in  his  way ;  who 
had  been  discharged  from  each  in  turn,  for  he  was 
wholly  vile ;  who  had  alienated  all  his  old  em- 
ployers, so  that  they  passed  him  in  the  street  as  if 
he  were  a  dog,  and  all  his  old  comrades,  so  that 
they  shunned  him  as  they  would  a  creditor. 

Not  long  before,  a  ship  from  Peru  had  brought 
an  influenza,  and  it  now  raged  in  the  island,  and 
particularly  in  Papeete.  From  all  round  the  purao 
arose  and  fell  a  dismal  sound  of  men  coughing, 
and  strangling  as  they  coughed.  The  sick  natives, 
with  the  islander's  impatience  of  a  touch  of  fever, 
had  crawled  from  their  houses  to  be  cool,  and, 
squatting  on  the  shore  or  on  the  beached  canoes, 
painfully  expected  the  new  day.  Even  as  the  crow- 
ing of  cocks  goes  about  the  country  in  the  night, 
from  farm  to  farm,  accesses  of  coughing  arose,  and 


NIGHT   ON   THE   BEACH.  1 7 

Spread,  and  died  in  the  distance,  and  sprang  up 
again.  Each  miserable  shiverer  caught  the  sug- 
gestion from  his  neighbor,  was  torn  for  some 
minutes  by  that  cruel  ecstasy,  and  left  spent  and 
without  voice  or  courage  when  it  passed.  If  a 
man  had  pity  to  spend,  Papeete  Beach,  on  that 
cold  night  and  in  that  infected  season,  was  a  place 
to  spend  it  on.  And  of  all  the  sufferers,  perhaps 
the  least  deserving,  but  surely  the  most  pitiable, 
was  the  London  clerk.  He  was  used  to  another 
life,  to  houses,  beds,  nursing,  and  the  dainties  of 
the  sick-room ;  he  lay  here  now,  in  the  cold  open, 
exposed  to  the  gusting  of  the  wind,  and  with  an 
empty  belly.  He  was  besides  infirm;  the  disease 
shook  him  to  the  vitals;  and  his  companions 
watched  his  endurance  with  surprise.  A  profound 
commiseration  filled  them,  and  contended  with  and 
conquered  their  abhorrence.  The  disgust  attend- 
ant on  so  ugly  a  sickness  magnified  this  dislike ;  at 
the  same  time,  and  with  more  than  compensating 
strength,  shame  for  a  sentiment  so  inhuman  bound 
them  the  more  straitly  to  his  service;  and  even 
the  evil  they  knew  of  him  swelled  their  solicitude, 
for  the  thought  of  death  is  always  least  support- 
able when  it  draws  near  to  the  merely  sensual  and 
selfish.  Sometimes  they  held  him  up;  sometimes, 
with  mistaken  helpfulness,  they  beat  him  between 
the  shoulders ;  and  when  the  poor  wretch  lay  back, 
ghastly  and  spent,  after  a  paroxysm  of  coughing, 
they  would  sometimes  peer  into  his  face,  doubtfully 
exploring  it  for  any  mark  of  life.  There  is  no  one 
2 


1 8  THE   EBB   TIDE. 

but  has  some  virtue ;  that  of  the  clerk  was  courage, 
and  he  would  make  haste  to  reassure  them  in  a 
pleasantry  not  always  decent. 

"  I  'm  all  right,  pals,"  he  gasped  once ;  "  this  is 
the  thing  to  strengthen  the  muscles  of  the  larynx." 

"  Well,  you  take  the  cake  !  "  cried  the  captain. 

"  Oh,  I  'm  good-plucked  enough,"  pursued  the 
sufferer,  with  a  broken  utterance ;  "  but  it  do  seem 
bloomin'  'ard  to  me  that  I  should  be  the  only  party 
to  be  down  with  this  form  of  vice,  and  the  only  one 
to  do  the  funny  business.  I  think  one  of  you  other 
parties  might  walk  up.    Tell  a  fellow  something." 

"  The  trouble  is,  we  've  nothing  to  tell,  my  son," 
returned  the  captain. 

"  I  '11  tell  you,  if  you  like,  what  I  was  thinking," 
said  Herrick. 

"Tell  us  anything,"  said  the  clerk.  "I  only 
want  to  be  reminded  that  I  ain't  dead." 

Herrick  took  up  his  parable,  lying  on  his  face, 
and  speaking  slowly  and  scarce  above  his  breath ; 
not  like  a  man  who  has  anything  to  say,  but  like 
one  talking  against  time. 

"  Well,  I  was  thinking  this,"  he  began.  "  I  was 
thinking  I  lay  on  Papeete  Beach  one  night,  —  all 
moon  and  squalls,  and  fellows  coughing,  —  and  I 
was  cold  and  hungry,  and  down  in  the  mouth,  and 
was  about  ninety  years  of  age,  and  had  spent  about 
two  hundred  and  twenty  of  them  on  Papeete  Beach. 
And  I  was  thinking  I  wished  I  had  a  ring  to  rub, 
or  had  a  fairy  godmother,  or  could  raise  Beelzebub. 
And  I  was  trying  to  remember  how  you  did  it.     I 


NIGHT   ON   THE    BEACH.  I9 

knew  you  made  a  ring  of  skulls,  for  I  had  seen  that 
in  the  '  Freischiitz ; '  and  that  you  took  off  your 
coat  and  turned  up  your  sleeves,  for  I  had  seen 
Formes  do  that  when  he  was  playing  Kaspar,  and 
you  could  see,  by  the  way  he  went  about  it,  it  was 
a  business  he  had  studied ;  and  that  you  ought  to 
have  something  to  kick  up  a  smoke  and  a  bad 
smell,  —  I  daresay  a  cigar  might  do,  —  and  that  you 
ought  to  say  the  Lord's  Prayer  backward.  Well, 
I  wondered  if  I  could  do  that ;  it  seemed  rather  a 
feat,  you  see.  And  then  I  wondered  if  I  could  say 
it  forward,  and  I  thought  I  did.  Well,  no  sooner 
had  I  got  to  'world  without  end '  than  I  saw  an  old 
man  in  a  pariu,  and  with  a  mat  under  his  arm, 
come  along  the  beach  from  the  town.  He  was 
rather  a  hard-favored  old  party,  and  he  limped  and 
crippled,  and  all  the  time  he  kept  coughing.  At 
first  I  didn't  cotton  to  his  looks,  I  thought,  and 
then  I  got  sorry  for  the  old  soul  because  he  coughed 
so  hard.  I  remembered  we  had  some  of  that  cough 
mixture  the  American  consul  gave  the  captain  for 
Hay.  It  never  did  Hay  a  ha'p'orth  of  service,  but 
I  thought  it  might  do  the  old  gentleman's  business 
for  him,  and  stood  up.  —  *  Yorana  ! '  said  I.  — '  Yo- 
rana  I '  says  he.  —  '  Look  here,'  I  said,  '  I  've  got 
some  first-rate  stuff  in  a  bottle ;  it  '11  fix  your  cough, 
—  savvy  ?  Harry  my  ^  and  I  '11  measure  you  out 
a  tablespoonful  in  the  palm  of  my  hand,  for  all  our 
plate  is  at  the  banker's.'  So  I  thought  the  old 
party  came  up,  and  the  nearer  he  came  the  less  I 
1  Come  here. 


20  THE   EBB   TIDE. 

took  to  him.  But  I  had  passed  my  word,  you 
see." 

"  Wot  is  this  bloomin'  drivel  ?  "  interrupted  the 
clerk.     "  It 's  like  the  rot  there  is  in  tracts." 

"  It 's  a  story.  I  used  to  tell  them  to  the  kids 
at  home,"  said  Herrick.  "  If  it  bores  you,  I  'U 
drop  it." 

"  Oh,  cut  along  !  "  returned  the  sick  man  irritably. 
"  It 's  better  than  nothing." 

"  Well,"  continued  Herrick,  "  I  had  no  sooner 
given  him  the  cough  mixture  than  he  seemed  to 
straighten  up  and  change,  and  I  saw  he  was  n't  a 
Tahitian  after  all,  but  some  kind  of  an  Arab,  and 
had  a  long  beard  on  his  chin.  'One  good  turn 
deserves  another,'  says  he.  I  am  a  magician  out 
of  the  Arabian  Nights,  and  this  mat  that  I  have 
under  my  arm  is  the  original  carpet  of  Mohammed 
Ben  Somebody-or-other.  Say  the  word  and  you 
can  have  a  cruise  upon  the  carpet.'  '  You  don't 
mean  to  say  this  is  the  Travelling  Carpet?'  I 
cried.  *  You  bet  I  do,'  said  he.  *  You  've  been 
to  America  since  last  I  read  the  Arabian  Nights,' 
said  I,  a  little  suspicious.  '  I  should  think  so,' 
said  he.  '  Been  everywhere.  A  man  with  a  car- 
pet like  this  is  n't  going  to  moulder  in  a  semi-de- 
tached villa.'  Well,  that  struck  me  as  reasonable. 
'  All  right,'  I  said,  *  and  do  you  mean  to  tell  me  I 
can  get  on  that  carpet  and  go  straight  to  London, 
England  ? '  I  said,  '  London,  England,'  captain,  be- 
cause he  seemed  to  have  been  so  long  in  your  part 
of  the  world.     '  In  the  crack  of  a  whip,'  said  he.     I 


NIGHT   ON   THE   BEACH.  21 

figured  up  the  time.  What  is  the  difference  be- 
tween Papeete  and  London,  captain  ?  " 

"  Taking  Greenwich  and  Point  Venus,  nine  hours, 
odd  minutes  and  seconds,"  replied  the  mariner. 

"  Well,  that 's  about  what  I  made  it,"  resumed 
Herrick ;  "  about  nine  hours.  Calling  this  three 
in  the  morning,  I  made  out  I  would  drop  into  Lon- 
don about  noon,  and  the  idea  tickled  me  im- 
mensely. '  There 's  only  one  bother,'  I  said,  *  I 
have  n't  a  copper  cent.  It  would  be  a  pity  to  go 
to  London  and  not  buy  the  morning  "  Standard."  ' 
'Oh! '  said  he,  'you  don't  realize  the  conveniences 
of  this  carpet.  You  see  this  pocket  ?  You  've  only 
got  to  stick  your  hand  in,  and  you  pull  it  out  filled 
with  sovereigns. ' " 

"  Double-eagles,  was  n't  it  ?  "  inquired  the  cap- 
tain. 

"  That  was  what  it  was  ! "  cried  Herrick.  "  I 
thought  they  seemed  unusually  big,  and  I  remem- 
ber now  I  had  to  go  to  the  money  changers  at 
Charing  Cross  and  get  English  silver." 

"  Oh,  you  went  then  ?  "  said  the  clerk.  "  Wot 
did  you  do  ?    Bet  you  had  a  B.  and  S. !  " 

"  Well,  you  see,  it  was  just  as  the  old  boy  said, 
like  the  cut  of  a  whip,"  said  Herrick.  "  The  one 
minute  I  was  here  on  the  beach  at  three  in  the 
morning,  the  next  I  was  in  front  of  the  Golden 
Cross  at  midday.  At  first  I  was  dazzled,  and 
covered  my  eyes,  and  there  did  n't  seem  the 
smallest  change ;  the  roar  of  the  Strand  and  the 
roar  of  the  reef  were  like  the  same;  hark  to  it 


22  THE   EBB   TIDE. 

now,  and  you  can  hear  the  cabs  and  the  'busses 
rolling  and  the  streets  resound  !  And  then  at  last 
I  would  look  about,  and  there  was  the  old  place 
and  no  mistake,  with  the  statues  in  the  square,  and 
St.  Martin's-in-the-Fields,  and  the  bobbies,  and 
the  sparrows,  and  the  hacks ;  and  I  can't  tell  you 
what  I  felt  like.  I  felt  like  crying,  I  believe, 
or  dancing,  or  jumping  clean  over  the  Nelson 
column.  I  was  like  a  fellow  caught  up  out  of 
hell  and  flung  down  into  the  dandiest  part  of 
heaven.  Then  I  spotted  for  a  hansom  with  a 
spanking  horse.  '  A  shilling  for  yourself  if  you  're 
there  in  twenty  minutes,'  said  I  to  the  jarvey.  He 
went  a  good  pace,  though,  of  course,  it  was  a 
trifle  to  the  carpet ;  and  in  nineteen  minutes  and 
a  half  I  was  at  the  door." 

"  What  door  ?  "  asked  the  captain. 

"  Oh,  a  house  I  know  of,"  returned  Herrick. 

"  Bet  it  was  a  public  house !  "  cried  the  clerk  — 
only  these  were  not  his  words.  "  And  w'y  did  n't 
you  take  the  carpet  there  instead  of  trundling  in  a 
growler  ?  " 

"  I  did  n't  want  to  startle  a  quiet  street,"  said 
the  narrator.  "  Bad  form.  And  besides,  it  was  a 
hansom." 

"  Well,  and  what  did  you  do  next  ?  "  inquired 
the  captain. 

"  Oh,  I  went  in,"  said  Herrick. 

"  The  old  folks  ? "  asked  the  captain. 

"  That 's  about  it,"  said  the  other,  chewing  a 
grass. 


NIGHT   ON   THE   BEACH.  23 

"Well,  I  think  you  are  about  the  poorest  'and 
at  a  yarn!"  cried  the  clerk.  "Crikey,  it's  like 
'  Ministering  Children.'  I  can  tell  you  there  would 
be  more  beer  and  skittles  about  my  little  jaunt. 
I  would  go  and  have  a  B.  and  S.  for  luck.  Then 
I  would  get  a  big  ulster  with  astrakhan  fur,  and 
take  my  cane,  and  do  the  la-de-da  down  Piccadilly. 
Then  I  would  go  to  a  slap-up  restaurant,  and  have 
green  peas  and  a  bottle  of  fizz  and  a  chump  chop 
—  Oh!  and  I  forgot,  I'd  'ave  some  devilled 
w'itebait  first,  and  green  gooseberry  tart,  and  'ot 
coffee,  and  some  of  that  form  of  vice  in  big  bottles 
with  a  seal  —  Benedictine  —  that's  the  bloomin' 
nyme  !  Then  I  'd  drop  into  a  theatre,  and  pal  on 
with  some  chappies,  and  do  the  dancing-rooms 
and  bars  and  that,  and  would  n't  go  'ome  till 
morning,  till  d'ylight  doth  appear.  And  the  next 
d'y  I  'd  'ave  water-creases,  'am,  muffin,  and  fresh 
butter ;  would  n't  I  just .''     Oh,  my  !  " 

The  clerk  was  interrupted  by  a  fresh  attack  of 
coughing. 

"  Well,  now,  I  '11  tell  you  what  I  would  do,"  said 
the  captain.  "  I  would  have  none  of  your  fancy 
rigs  with  the  man  driving  from,  the  mizzen  cross- 
trees,  but  a  plain  fore-and-aft  hack  cab  of  the 
highest  registered  tonnage.  First  of  all,  I  would 
bring  up  at  the  market  and  get  a  turkey  and  a 
sucking  pig.  Then  I  'd  go  to  a  wine  merchant's 
and  get  a  dozen  of  champagne  and  a  dozen  of 
some  sweet  wine,  rich  and  sticky  and  strong,  some- 
thing in  the  port  or  Madeira  line,  the  best  in  the 


24  THE   EBB   TIDE. 

Store.  Then  I  'd  bear  up  for  a  toy  store,  and  lay 
out  twenty  dollars  in  assorted  toys  for  the  picca- 
ninnies :  and  then  to  a  confectioner's  and  take  in 
cakes  and  pies  and  fancy  bread,  and  that  stuff 
with  the  plums  in  it ;  and  then  to  a  news  agency, 
and  buy  all  the  papers  —  all  the  picture  ones  for 
the  kids,  and  all  the  story  papers  for  the  old  girl : 
about  the  Earl  discovering  himself  to  Anna 
Maria,  and  the  escape  of  the  Lady  Maude  from 
the  Private  Madhouse ;  and  then  I  'd  tell  the 
fellow  to  drive  home." 

"  There  ought  to  be  some  syrup  for  the  kids," 
suggested  Herrick.     "  They  like  syrup." 

"  Yes,  syrup  for  the  kids,  red  syrup  at  that !  " 
said  the  captain.  "  And  those  things  they  pull  at 
and  go  pop,  and  have  measly  poetry  inside.  And 
then  I  tell  you  we  'd  have  a  Thanksgiving  Day 
and  Christmas  tree  combined.  Great  Scott,  but 
I  would  like  to  see  the  kids !  I  guess  they  would 
light  right  out  of  the  house  when  they  saw  daddy 
driving  up.     My  little  Adar  —  " 

The  captain  stopped  sharply. 

"  Well,  keep  it  up,"  said  the  clerk. 

"The  damned  thing  is,  I  don't  know  if  they 
are  n't  starving !  "  cried  the  captain. 

"  They  can't  be  worse  off  than  we  are,  and  that 's 
one  comfort,"  returned  the  clerk.  "I  defy  the 
devil  to  make  me  worse  off." 

It  seemed  as  if  the  devil  heard  him.  The  light 
of  the  moon  had  been  some  time  cut  off,  and  they 
had  talked  in  darkness.     Now  there  was  heard  a 


NIGHT   ON   THE   BEACH.  25 

roar,  which  drew  impetuously  nearer ;  the  face  of 
the  lagoon  was  seen  to  whiten,  and,  before  they 
had  staggered  to  their  feet,  a  squall  burst  in  rain 
upon  the  outcasts.  The  rage  and  volume  of  that 
avalanche,  one  must  have  lived  in  the  tropics  to 
conceive  ;  a  man  panted  in  its  assault  as  he  might 
pant  under  a  shower  bath ;  and  the  world  seemed 
whelmed  in  night  and  water. 

They  fled,  groping  for  their  usual  shelter — it 
might  be  almost  called  their  home  —  in  the  old  cala- 
boose ;  came  drenched  into  its  empty  chambers, 
and  lay  down,  three  sops  of  humanity,  on  the  cold 
coral  floors.  And  presently,  when  the  squall  was 
overpassed,  the  others  could  hear  in  the  darkness 
the  chattering  of  the  clerk's  teeth. 

"  I  say,  you  fellows,"  he  wailed,  "  for  God's  sake 
lie  up  and  try  to  warm  me.  I  'm  blymed  if  I  don't 
think  I  '11  die  else  !  " 

So  the  three  crept  together  into  one  wet  mass, 
and  lay  until  day  came,  shivering  and  dozing  off, 
and  continually  reawakened  to  wretchedness  by 
the  coughing  of  the  clerk. 


CHAPTER   II. 

MORNING   ON  THE   BEACH.  —  THE  THREE 
LETTERS. 

X  HE  clouds  were  all  fled,  the  beauty  of  the 
tropic  day  was  spread  upon  Papeete ;  and  the  wall 
of  breaking  seas  upon  the  reef,  and  the  palms  upon 
the  islet,  already  trembled  in  the  heat.  A  French 
man-of-war  was  going  out  that  morning,  homeward 
bound;  she  lay  in  the  middle  distance  of  the  port,  an 
ant-heap  for  activity.  In  the  night  a  schooner  had 
come  in,  and  now  lay  far  out,  hard  by  the  passage ; 
and  the  yellow  flag,  the  emblem  of  pestilence,  flew  on 
her.  From  up  the  coast  a  long  procession  of  canoes 
headed  round  the  point  and  toward  the  market, 
bright  as  a  scarf  with  the  many-colored  clothing  of 
the  natives  and  the  piles  of  fruit.  But  not  even 
the  beauty  and  the  welcome  warmth  of  the  morning, 
not  even  these  naval  movements,  so  interesting  to 
sailors  and  to  idlers,  could  engage  the  attention  of 
the  outcasts.  They  were  still  cold  at  heart,  their 
mouths  sour  from  the  want  of  sleep,  their  steps 
rambling  from  the  lack  of  food ;  and  they  strung 
like  lame  geese  along  the  beach  in  a  disheartened 


MORNING  ON   THE  BEACH.  27 

silence.  It  was  towards  the  town  they  moved; 
towards  the  town  whence  smoke  arose,  where  hap- 
pier folk  were  breakfasting;  and  as  they  went, 
their  hungry  eyes  were  upon  all  sides,  but  they 
were  only  scouting  for  a  meal. 

A  small  and  dingy  schooner  lay  snug  against 
the  quay,  with  which  it  was  connected  by  a  plank. 
On  the  forward  deck,  under  a  spot  of  awning,  five 
Kanakas,  who  made  up  the  crew,  were  squatted 
round  a  basin  of  fried  feis  ^  and  drinking  coffee 
from  tin  mugs. 

"  Eight  bells ;  knock  off  for  breakfast !  "  cried 
the  captain  with  a  miserable  heartiness.  "  Never 
tried  this  craft  before ;  positively  my  first  appear- 
ance ;  guess  I  '11  draw  a  bumper  house." 

He  came  close  up  to  where  the  plank  rested  on 
the  grassy  quay,  turned  his  back  upon  the  schooner, 
and  began  to  whistle  that  lively  air,  "  The  Irish 
Washerwoman."  It  caught  the  ears  of  the  Kanaka 
seamen  like  a  preconcerted  signal.  With  one  ac- 
cord they  looked  up  from  their  meal  and  crowded 
to  the  ship's  side,  fei  in  hand,  and  munching  as 
they  looked.  Even  as  a  poor  brown  Pyrenean 
bear  dances  in  the  streets  of  English  towns  under 
his  master's  baton,  even  so,  but  with  how  much 
more  of  spirit  and  precision,  the  captain  footed  it 
in  time  to  his  own  whistling,  and  his  long  morning 
shadow  capered  beyond  him  on  the  grass.  The 
Kanakas  smiled  on  the  performance ;  Herrick 
looked  on  heavy-eyed,  hunger  for  the  moment 
1  Pet  is  the  hill  banana. 


28  THE   EBB   TIDE. 

conquering  all  sense  of  shame ;  and  a  little  far- 
ther off,  but  still  hard  by,  the  clerk  was  torn  by 
the  seven  devils  of  the  influenza. 

The  captain  stopped  suddenly,  appeared  to  per- 
ceive his  audience  for  the  first  time,  and  represented 
the  part  of  a  man  surprised  in  a  private  hour  of 
pleasure. 

"  Hello !  "  said  he. 

The  Kanakas  clapped  hands  and  called  upon 
him  to  go  on. 

"No,  sir r"*  said  the  captain.  "No  eat,  no 
dance.     Savvy?" 

"  Poor  old  man !  "  returned  one  of  the  crew. 
"  Him  no  eat  ?  " 

"  Lord,  no !  "  said  the  captain.  "  Like-um  too 
much  eat.     No  got." 

"All  right.  Me  got,"  said  the  sailor.  "You 
tome  here.  Plenty  toffee,  plenty/^/.  Nutha  man 
him  tome  too." 

"  I  guess  we  '11  drop  right  in,"  observed  the  cap- 
tain ;  and  he  and  his  companions  hastened  up  the 
plank.  They  were  welcomed  on  board  with  the 
shaking  of  hands ;  place  was  made  for  them 
about  the  basin ;  a  sticky  demijohn  of  molasses 
was  added  to  the  feast  in  honor  of  company,  and 
an  accordion  brought  from  the  forecastle,  and  sig- 
nificantly laid  by  the  performer's  side. 

^^  Ariana,^''  ^  said  he,  lightly  touching  the  instru- 
ment as  he  spoke ;  and  he  fell  to  on  a  long  savory 
feiy  made  an  end  of  it,  raised  his  mug  of  coffee, 
1  By  and  by. 


MORNING  ON  THE  BEACH.  29 

and  nodded  across  at  the  spokesman  of  the  crew. 
"  Here 's  your  health,  old  man.  You  're  a  credit  to 
the  South  Pacific,"  said  he. 

With  the  unsightly  greed  of  hounds  they  glutted 
themselves  with  the  hot  food  and  coffee ;  and  even 
the  clerk  revived  and  the  color  deepened  in  his 
eyes.  The  kettle  was  drained,  the  basin  cleaned ; 
their  entertainers,  who  had  waited  on  their  wants 
throughout  with  the  pleased  hospitality  of  Polyne- 
sians, made  haste  to  bring  forward  a  dessert  of 
island  tobacco  and  rolls  of  pandanus  leaf  to  serve 
as  paper,  and  presently  all  sat  about  the  dishes, 
puffing  like  Indian  sachems. 

"When  a  man  'as  breakfast  every  day,  he  don't 
know  wot  it  is,    observed  the  clerk. 

"  The  next  point  is  dinner,"  said  Herrick ;  and 
then  with  a  passionate  utterance  :  "  I  wish  to  God 
I  was  a  Kanaka  !  " 

"  There 's  one  thing  sure,"  said  the  captain. 
"  I  'm  about  desperate.  I  'd  rather  hang  than  rot 
here  much  longer."  And  with  the  word  he  took  the 
accordion  and  struck  up  "  Home,  Sweet  Home." 

"  Oh,  drop  that ! "  cried  Herrick.  "  I  can't  stand 
that." 

"  No  more  can  I,"  said  the  captain.  "  I  've  got 
to  play  something,  though  ;  got  to  pay  the  shot,  my 
son."  And  he  struck  up  "John  Brown's  Body" 
in  a  fine,  sweet  baritone ;  "  Dandy  Jim  of  Caro- 
lina" came  next;  "Rosin  the  Bold,"  "Swing 
low,  sweet  chariot,"  and  "The  Beautiful  Land" 
followed.     The  captain  was  paying  his  shot  with 


30 


THE   EBB   TIDE. 


usury,  as  he  had  done  many  a  time  before  ;  many 
a  meal  had  he  bought  with  the  same  currency  from 
the  melodious-minded  natives,  always,  as  now,  to 
their  delight. 

He  was  in  the  middle  of  "Fifteen  dollars  in 
the  inside  pocket,"  singing  with  dogged  energy, 
for  the  task  went  sore  against  the  grain,  when  a 
sensation  was  suddenly  to  be  observed  among 
the  crew. 

"  Tapena  Tom  harry  my,""  ^  said  the  spokesman, 
pointing. 

And  the  three  beach-combers,  following  his  indi- 
cation, saw  the  figure  of  a  man  in  pajama  trousers 
and  a  white  jumper  approaching  briskly  from  the 
town. 

"  That 's  Tapena  Tom,  is  it  ?  "  said  the  captain, 
pausing  in  his  music.  "  I  don't  seem  to  place  the 
brute." 

"  We  'd  better  cut,"  said  the  clerk.  "  'E  's  no 
good." 

"Well,"  said  the  musician  deliberately,  "one 
can't  most  always  generally  tell.  I  '11  try  it  on,  I 
guess.  Music  has  charms  to  soothe  the  savage 
tapena,  boys.  We  might  strike  it  rich ;  it  might 
amount  to  iced  punch  in  the  cabin." 

"  Hiced  punch  ?  Oh,  my !  "  said  the  clerk. 
"  Give  him  something  'ot,  captain.  *  Way  down  the 
Swanee  River ; '  try  that." 

"  No,  sir!  Looks  Scotch,'*  said  the  captain;  and 
he  struck,  for  his  life,  into  "  Auld  Lang  Syne." 
1  Captain  Tom  is  coming. 


MORNING   ON   THE   BEACH.  31 

Captain  Tom  continued  to  approach  with  the 
same  business-like  alacrity ;  no  change  was  to  be 
perceived  in  his  bearded  face  as  he  came  swinging 
up  the  plank ;  he  did  not  even  turn  his  eyes  on  the 
performer. 

*'  We  twa  hae  paidled  in  the  burn 
Frae  morning  tide  till  dine," 

went  the  song. 

Captain  Tom  had  a  parcel  under  his  arm,  which 
he  laid  on  the  house-roof,  and  then,  turning  suddenly 
to  the  strangers,  "  Here,  you  I  "  he  bellowed,  "  be 
off  out  of  that ! " 

The  clerk  and  Herrick  stood  not  on  the  order 
of  their  going,  but  fled  incontinently  by  the  plank. 
The  performer,  on  the  other  hand,  flung  down  the 
instrument  and  rose  to  his  full  height  slowly. 

"  What 's  that  you  say  ?  "  he  said.  "  I  've  half  a 
mind  to  give  you  a  lesson  in  civility." 

"  You  set  up  any  more  of  your  gab  to  me,"  re- 
turned the  Scotchman,  "  and  I  '11  show  ye  the 
wroang  side  of  a  jyle.  I  've  heard  tell  of  the  three 
of  ye.  Ye  're  not  long  for  here,  I  can  tell  ye  that. 
The  Goavernment  has  their  eyes  upon  ye.  They 
make  shoart  work  of  damned  beach-combers,  I  '11 
say  that  for  the  French." 

"  You  wait  till  I  catch  you  off  your  ship ! " 
cried  the  captain ;  and  then  turning  to  the  crew, 
"  Good-by,  you  fellows !  "  he  said.  "  You  're  gen- 
tlemen, anyway !  The  worst  nigger  among  you 
would  look  better  upon  a  quarter-deck  than  that 
filthy  Scotchman." 


32  THE   EBB    TIDE. 

Captain  Tom  scorned  to  reply.  He  watched 
with  a  hard  smile  the  departure  of  his  guests,  and 
as  soon  as  the  last  foot  was  off  the  plank,  turned 
to  the  hands  to  work  cargo. 

The  beach-combers  beat  their  inglorious  retreat 
along  the  shore ;  Herrick  first,  his  face  dark  with 
blood,  his  knees  trembHng  under  him  with  the  hys- 
teria of  rage.  Presently,  under  the  same  purao 
where  they  had  shivered  the  night  before,  he  cast 
himself  down,  and  groaned  aloud,  and  ground  his 
face  into  the  sand. 

"  Don't  speak  to  me  !  don't  speak  to  me.  I  can't 
stand  it !  "  broke  from  him. 

The  other  two  stood  over  him,  perplexed. 

"  Wot  can't  he  stand  now  ? "  said  the  clerk. 
"*Asn't  he  'ad  a  meal?     Vm  lickin'  my  lips." 

Herrick  reared  up  his  wild  eyes  and  burning  face. 
"  I  can't  beg,"  he  screamed,  and  again  threw  him- 
self prone. 

"  This  thing  's  got  to  come  to  an  end,"  said  the 
captain,  with  an  intake  of  the  breath. 

"  Looks  like  signs  of  an  end,  don't  it }  "  sneered 
the  clerk. 

"  He  's  not  so  far  from  it,  and  don't  you  deceive 
yourself,"  replied  the  captain.  "  Well,"  he  added 
in  a  livelier  voice,  "  you  fellows  hang  on  here,  and 
I  '11  go  and  interview  my  representative." 

Whereupon  he  turned  on  his  heel,  and  set  off  at 
a  swinging  sailor's  walk  towards  Papeete. 

It  was  some  half-hour  later  when  he  returned. 
The  clerk  was  dozing  with  his  back  against  a  tree : 


MORNING   ON   THE   BEACH.  33 

Herrick  still  lay  where  he  had  flung  himself  ;  noth- 
ing showed  whether  he  slept  or  waked. 

"  See,  boys  ! "  cried  the  captain,  with  that  artifi- 
cial heartiness  of  his  which  was  at  times  so  painful, 
"  here  's  a  new  idea."  And  he  produced  note- 
paper,  stamped  envelopes,  and  pencils,  three  of 
each.  "  We  can  all  write  home  by  the  mail  brig- 
antine.  The  consul  says  I  can  come  over  to  his 
place  and  ink  up  the  addresses." 

"Well,  that's  a  start,  too,"  said  the  clerk.  "I 
never  thought  of  that." 

"  It  was  that  yarning  last  night  about  going  home 
that  put  me  up  to  it,"  said  the  captain. 

"  Well,  'and  over,"  said  the  clerk.  "  I  '11  have  a 
shy."  And  he  retired  a  little  distance  to  the  shade 
of  a  canoe. 

The  others  remained  under  the  purao.  Now  they 
would  write  a  word  or  two,  now  scribble  it  out ;  now 
they  would  sit  biting  at  the  pencil-end  and  staring 
seaward;  now  their  eyes  would  rest  on  the  clerk 
where  he  sat  propped  on  the  canoe,  leering  and 
coughing,  his  pencil  racing  glibly  on  the  paper. 

"  I  can't  do  it,"  said  Herrick,  suddenly.  "  I 
have  n't  got  the  heart." 

"  See  here,"  said  the  captain,  speaking  with  un- 
wonted gravity.  "  It  may  be  hard  to  write,  and  to 
write  lies  at  that,  and  God  knows  it  is ;  but  it 's  the 
square  thing.  It  don't  cost  anything  to  say  you  're 
well  and  happy,  and  sorry  you  can't  make  a  remit- 
tance this  mail ;  and  if  you  don't,  I  '11  tell  you  what 
I  think  it  is,  —  I  think  it 's  about  the  high-water 
mark  of  being  a  brute  beast." 
3 


34  THE  EBB   TIDE. 

"It's  easy  to  talk,"  said  Herrick.  "You  don't 
seem  to  have  written  much  yourself,  I  notice." 

"  What  do  you  bring  in  me  for  ?  "  broke  from 
the  captain.  His  voice  was  indeed  scarce  raised 
above  a  whisper,  but  emotion  clanged  in  it.  "  What 
do  you  know  about  me  ?  If  you  had  commanded 
the  finest  barque  that  ever  sailed  from  Portland, 
Maine  ;  if  you  had  been  drunk  in  your  berth  when 
she  struck  the  breakers  in  Fourteen  Island  Group, 
and  had  n't  had  the  wit  to  stay  there  and  drown,  but 
come  on  deck,  and  given  drunken  orders,  and  lost 
six  lives,  —  I  could  understand  your  talking  then ! 
There,"  he  said  more  quietly,  "  that 's  my  yarn,  and 
now  you  know  it.  It 's  a  pretty  one  for  the  father 
of  a  family.  Five  men  and  a  woman  murdered. 
Yes,  there  was  a  woman  on  board,  and  had  n't  no 
business  to  be  either.  Guess  I  sent  her  to  hell,  if 
there  is  such  a  place.  I  never  dared  go  home 
again ;  and  the  wife  and  the  little  ones  went  to 
England  to  her  father's  place.  I  don't  know 
what 's  come  to  them,"  he  added,  with  a  bitter 
shrug. 

"  Thank  you.  Captain,"  said  Herrick.  "  I  never 
liked  you  better." 

They  shook  hands,  short  and  hard,  with  eyes 
averted,  tenderness  swelling  in  their  bosoms. 

"  Now,  boys  !  to  work  again  at  lying  !  "  said  the 
captain. 

"  I  '11  give  my  father  up,"  returned  Herrick,  with 
a  writhen  smile.  "  I  '11  try  my  sweetheart,  instead, 
for  a  change  of  evils." 


MORNING   ON   THE   BEACH.  35 

And  hfere  is  what  he  wrote :  — 

"  Emma,  —  I  have  scratched  out  the  beginning  to 
my  father,  for  I  think  I  can  write  more  easily  to  you. 
This  is  my  last  farewell  to  all ;  the  last  you  will  ever 
hear  or  see  of  an  unworthy  friend  and  son.  I  have 
failed  in  life.  I  am  quite  broken  down  and  disgraced. 
I  pass  under  a  false  name.  You  will  have  to  tell  my 
father  that,  with  all  your  kindness.  It  is  my  own  fault. 
I  know,  had  I  chosen,  that  I  might  have  done  well ;  and 
yet,  I  swear  to  you,  I  tried  to  choose.  I  could  not  bear 
that  you  should  think  I  did  not  try.  For  I  loved  you 
all ;  you  must  never  doubt  me  in  that,  you  least  of  all. 
I  have  always  unceasingly  loved ;  but  what  was  my  love 
worth,  and  what  was  I  worth  ?  I  had  not  the  manhood 
of  a  common  clerk,  I  could  not  work  to  earn  you.  I 
have  lost  you  now,  and  for  your  sake  I  could  be  glad 
of  it.  When  you  first  came  to  my  father's  house  —  do 
you  remember  those  days  ?  I  want  you  to  —  you  saw 
the  best  of  me  then,  all  that  was  good  in  me.  Do  you 
remember  the  day  I  took  your  hand  and  would  not  let 
it  go  }  And  the  day  on  Battersea  Bridge,  when  we 
were  looking  at  a  barge,  and  I  began  to  tell  one  of  my 
silly  stories,  and  broke  off  to  say  I  loved  you  ?  That 
was  the  beginning,  and  now  here  is  the  end.  When 
you  have  read  this  letter,  you  will  go  round  and  kiss 
them  all  good-by,  —  my  father  and  mother,  and  the  chil- 
dren, one  by  one,  and  poor  uncle  ;  and  tell  them  all  to 
forget  me,  and  forget  me  yourself.  Turn  the  key  in 
the  door ;  let  no  thought  of  me  return ;  be  done  with 
the  poor  ghost  that  pretended  he  was  a  man  and  stole 
your  love.  Scorn  of  myself  grinds  in  me  as  I  write.  I 
should  tell  you  I  am  well  and  happy  and  want  for 
nothing.     I  do  not  exactly  make  money,  or  I  should 


36  THE  EBB   TIDE. 

send  a  remittance ;  but  I  am  well  cared  for,  have 
friends,  live  in  a  beautiful  place  and  climate,  such  as 
we  have  dreamed  of  together,  and  no  pity  need  be 
wasted  on  me.  In  such  places,  you  understand,  it  is 
easy  to  live,  and  live  well,  but  often  hard  to  make  six- 
pence in  money.  Explain  this  to  my  father;  he  will 
understand.  I  have  no  more  to  say ;  only  linger,  going 
out,  like  an  unwilling  guest.  God  in  heaven  bless  you ! 
Think  of  me,  at  the  last,  here,  on  a  bright  beach,  the 
sky  and  sea  immoderately  blue,  and  the  great  breakers 
roaring  outside  on  a  barrier-reef,  where  a  little  isle  sits 
green  with  palms.  I  am  well  and  strong.  It  is  a  more 
pleasant  way  to  die  than  if  you  were  crowding  about 
me  on  a  sick-bed.  And  yet  I  am  dying.  This  is  my 
last  kiss.     Forgive,  forget,  the  unworthy." 

So  far  he  had  written ;  his  paper  was  all  filled, 
when  there  returned  a  memory  of  evenings  at  the 
piano,  and  that  song,  the  masterpiece  of  love,  in 
which  so  many  have  found  the  expression  of  their 
dearest  thoughts :  Einst,  O  Wunder  I  he  added. 
More  was  not  required ;  he  knew  that,  in  his  love's 
heart,  the  context  would  spring  up,  escorted  with 
fair  images  and  harmony ;  of  how  all  through  life 
her  name  should  tremble  in  his  ears,  her  name  be 
everywhere  repeated  in  the  sounds  of  nature ; 
and  when  death  came  and  he  lay  dissolved,  her 
memory  linger  and  thrill  among  his  elements. 

•'  Once,  O  wonder  I  once  from  the  ashes  of  my  heart 
Arose  a  blossom " 

Herrick  and  the  captain  finished  their  letters 
about  the  same  time ;    each  was  breathing  deep, 


MORNING   ON   THE   BEACH.  37 

and  their  eyes  met  and  were  averted  as  they  closed 
the  envelopes. 

"  Sorry  I  write  so  big,"  said  the  captain,  gruffly. 
"  Came  all  of  a  rush,  when  it  did  come." 

"  Same  here,"  said  Herrick.  "  I  could  have  done 
with  a  ream  when  I  got  started;  but  it's  long 
enough  for  all  the  good  I  had  to  say." 

They  were  still  at  the  addresses  when  the  clerk 
strolled  up,  smirking,  and  twirling  his  envelope,  like 
a  man  well  pleased.  He  looked  over  Herrick's 
shoulder. 

"Hullo,"  he  said,  "you  ain't  writing  'ome." 

"  I  am,  though,"  said  Herrick.  "  She  lives  with 
my  father.  Oh,  I  see  what  you  mean,"  he  added. 
"My  real  name  is  Herrick.  No  more  Hay"  — 
they  had  both  used  the  same  alias  —  "  no  more 
Hay  than  yours,  I  dare  say." 

"  Clean  bowled  in  the  middle  stump,"  laughed  the 
clerk.  "  My  name 's  'Uish,  if  you  want  to  know. 
Everybody  has  a  false  nyme  in  the  Pacific.  Lay 
you  five  to  three  the  captain  'as." 

"Sol  have,  too,"  replied  the  captain,  <*  and  I  've 
never  told  my  own  since  the  day  I  tore  the  title- 
page  out  of  my  Bowditch  and  flung  the  damned  thing 
into  the  sea.  But  I  '11  tell  it  to  you,  boys.  John 
Davis  is  my  name.    I 'm  Davis  of  the  'Sea  Ranger.'" 

"  Dooce  you  are  !  "  said  Huish.  "  And  what  was 
she,  a  pirate  or  a  slyver  ?  " 

"  She  was  the  fastest  barque  out  of  Portland 
Maine,"  replied  the  captain ;  "  and  for  the  way  I 
lost  her,  I  might  as  well  have  bored  a  hole  in  her 
side  with  an  auger." 


38  THE   EBB   TIDE. 

"  Oh,  you  lost  her,  did  you  ?  "  said  the  clerk. 
"'Ope  she  was  insured." 

No  answer  being  returned  to  this  sally,  Huish, 
still  brimming  over  with  vanity  and  conversation, 
struck  into  another  subject. 

"  I  've  a  good  mind  to  read  you  my  letter,"  said  he 
"  I  Ve  a  good  fist  with  a  pen  when  I  choose,  and 
this  is  a  prime  lark.  She  was  a  barmaid  I  ran 
across  in  Northampton ;  she  was  a  spanking  fine 
piece,  no  end  of  style ;  and  we  cottoned  at  first 
sight  like  parties  in  the  play.  I  suppose  I  spent 
the  chynge  of  a  fiver  on  that  girl.  Well,  I  'appened 
to  remember  her  nyme,  so  I  wrote  to  her,  and  told 
her  'ow  I  had  got  rich,  and  married  a  queen  in  the 
Hislands,  and  lived  in  a  blooming  palace.  Such  a 
sight  of  crammers  !  I  must  read  you  one  bit  about 
my  opening  the  nigger  parliament  in  a  cocked  'at. 
It 's  really  prime." 

The  captain  jumped  to  his  feet.  "  That 's  what 
you  did  with  the  paper  that  I  went  and  begged  for 
you  ?  "  he  roared. 

It  was  perhaps  lucky  for  Huish  —  it  was  surely 
in  the  end  unfortunate  for  all  —  that  he  was  seized 
just  then  by  one  of  his  prostrating  accesses  of 
cough  ;  his  comrades  would  have  else  deserted  him, 
so  bitter  was  their  resentment.  When  the  fit  had 
passed,  the  clerk  reached  out  his  hand,  picked  up 
the  letter,  which  had  fallen  to  the  earth,  and  tore  it 
into  fragments,  stamp  and  all. 

"  Does  that  satisfy  you  ?  "  he  asked  sullenly. 

"  We  '11  say  no  more  about  it,"  rephed  Davis. 


CHAPTER  III. 

THE  OLD  CALABOOSE.  —  DESTINY  AT  THE  DOOR. 

1  HE  old  calaboose,  in  which  the  waifs  had  so 
long  harbored,  was  a  low,  rectangular  enclosure  of 
building,  at  the  corner  of  a  shady  western  avenue, 
and  a  little  townward  of  the  British  Consulate. 
Within  was  a  grassy  court,  littered  with  wreckage 
and  the  traces  of  vagrant  occupation.  Six  or  seven 
cells  opened  from  the  court ;  the  doors,  that  had 
once  been  locked  on  mutinous  whalermen,  rotting 
before  them  in  the  grass.  No  mark  remained  of 
their  old  destination,  except  the  rusty  bars  upon 
the  windows. 

The  floor  of  one  of  the  cells  had  been  a  little 
cleared ;  a  bucket  (the  last  remaining  piece  of  furni- 
ture of  the  three  caitiffs)  stood  full  of  water  by  the 
door,  a  half  cocoanut-shell  beside  it  for  a  drinking- 
cup ;  and  on  some  ragged  ends  of  mat  Huish 
sprawled  asleep,  his  mouth  open,  his  face  deathly. 
The  glow  of  the  tropic  afternoon,  the  green  of  sun- 
bright  foliage,  stared  into  that  shady  place  through 
door  and  window  ;  and  Herrick,  pacing  to  and  fro 
on  the  coral  floor,  sometimes  paused,  and  laved  his 
face  and  neck  with  tepid  water  from  the  bucket. 
His  long  arrears  of  suffering,  the  night's  vigil,  the 


40  THE  EBB   TIDE. 

insults  of  the  morning,  and  the  harrowing  business 
of  the  letter,  had  strung  him  to  that  point  when 
pain  is  almost  pleasure,  time  shrinks  to  a  mere 
point,  and  death  and  life  appear  indifferent.  To 
and  fro  he  paced  like  a  caged  brute,  his  mind 
whirling  through  the  universe  of  thought  and  mem- 
ory ;  his  eyes,  as  he  went,  skimming  the  legends  on 
the  wall.  The  crumbling  whitewash  was  all  full  of 
them,  —  Tahitian  names,  and  French  and  English, 
and  rude  sketches  of  ships  under  sail,  and  men  at 
fisticuffs. 

It  came  to  him  of  a  sudden  that  he  too  must 
leave  upon  these  walls  the  memorial  of  his  passage. 
He  paused  before  a  clean  space,  took  the  pencil 
out,  and  pondered.  Vanity,  so  hard  to  dislodge, 
awoke  in  him.  We  call  it  vanity,  at  least;  per- 
haps unjustly.  Rather  it  was  the  bare  sense  of  his 
existence  prompted  him  ;  the  sense  of  his  life,  the 
one  thing  wonderful,  to  which  he  scarce  clung  with 
a  finger.  From  his  jarred  nerves  there  came  a 
strong  sentiment  of  coming  change ;  whether  good 
or  ill,  he  could  not  say :  change,  —  he  knew  no 
more ;  change,  with  inscrutable,  veiled  face,  ap- 
proaching noiseless.  With  the  feeling  came  the 
vision  of  a  concert-room,  the  rich  hues  of  instru- 
ments, the  silent  audience,  and  the  loud  voice  of 
the  symphony.  "  Destiny  knocking  at  the  door," 
he  thought ;  drew  a  stave  on  the  plaster,  and  wrote 
in  the  famous  phrase  from  the  Fifth  Symphony. 
"  So,"  thought  he,  "  they  will  know  that  I  loved 
music  and  had  classical  tastes.      They?     He,   I 


THE   OLD   CALABOOSE.  41 

suppose;  the  unknown,  kindred  spirit  that  shall 
come  some  day  and  read  my  memor  querela.  Ha  ! 
he  shall  have  Latin  too."  And  he  added  :  "  terque 
quaterque  beati  quels  ante  ora  patrumy 

He  turned  again  to  his  uneasy  pacing,  but  now 
with  an  irrational  and  supporting  sense  of  duty 
done.  He  had  dug  his  grave  that  morning ;  now 
he  had  carved  his  epitaph ;  the  folds  of  the  toga 
were  composed,  why  should  he  delay  the  insignifi- 
cant trifle  that  remained  to  do  ?  He  paused  and 
looked  long  in  the  face  of  the  sleeping  Huish, 
drinking  disenchantment  and  distaste  of  life.  He 
nauseated  himself  with  that  vile  countenance. 
Could  the  thing  continue  ?  What  bound  him  now  ? 
Had  he  no  rights?  Only  the  obligation  to  go  on, 
without  discharge  or  furlough,  bearing  the  unbear- 
able? Ich  trage  unertragliches ;  the  quotation 
rose  in  his  mind.  He  repeated  the  whole  piece, 
one  of  the  most  perfect  of  the  most  perfect  of 
poets ;  and  a  phrase  struck  him  like  a  blow  :  Du^ 
stolzes  Herz^  du  hast  es  ja  geivollt.  Where  was 
the  pride  of  his  heart?  And  he  raged  against 
himself,  as  a  man  bites  on  a  sore  tooth,  in  a  heady 
sensuality  of  scorn.  "  I  have  no  pride,  I  have  no 
heart,  no  manhood,"  he  thought,  "  or  why  should  I 
prolong  a  life  more  shameful  than  the  gallows? 
Or  why  should  I  have  fallen  to  it  ?  No  pride,  no 
capacity,  no  force.  Not  even  a  bandit.  And  to  be 
starving  here  with  worse  than  banditti  —  with  this 
trivial  hell-hound !  "  His  rage  against  his  comrade 
rose  and  flooded  him,  and  he  shook  a  trembling 
fist  at  the  sleeper. 


42  THE   EBB   TIDE. 

A  swift  step  was  audible.  The  captain  appeared 
upon  the  threshold  of  the  cell,  panting  and  flushed, 
and  with  a  foolish  face  of  happiness.  In  his  arms 
he  carried  a  loai  of  bread  and  bottles  of  beer ;  the 
pockets  of  his  coat  were  bulging  with  cigars.  He 
rolled  his  treasures  on  the  floor,  grasped  Herrick 
by  both  hands,  and  crowed  with  laughter. 

"  Broach  the  beer !  "  he  shouted.  "  Broach  the 
beer,  and  glory  hallelujah  !  " 

"  Beer  ? "  repeated  Huish,  struggling  to  his  feet. 

"  Beer  it  is ! "  cried  Davis.  "  Beer,  and  plenty 
of  it.  Any  number  of  persons  can  use  it  (like 
Lyon's  tooth  tablet)  with  perfect  propriety  and 
neatness.     Who's  to  officiate?" 

"  Leave  me  alone  for  that,"  said  the  clerk.  He 
knocked  the  necks  off  with  a  lump  of  coral,  and 
each  drank  in  succession  from  the  shell. 

"  Have  a  weed?  "  said  Davis.  "  It's  all  in  the 
bill." 

"  What  is  up  ?  "  asked  Herrick. 

The  captain  fell  suddenly  grave.  "  I  'm  coming 
to  that,"  said  he.  "  I  want  to  speak  with  Herrick 
here.  You,  Hay  —  or  Huish,  or  whatever  your 
name  is  —  you  take  a  weed  and  the  other  bottle, 
and  go  and  see  how  the  wind  is  down  by  ^\^purao. 
I  '11  call  you  when  you  're  wanted." 

"  Hey  ?  Secrets  ?  That  ain't  the  ticket,"  said 
Huish. 

"  Look  here,  my  son,"  said  the  captain,  "  this  is 
business,  and  don't  you  make  any  mistake  about 
it.     If  you  're  going  to  make  trouble,  you  can  have 


THE   OLD   CALABOOSE.  43 

it  in  your  own  way  and  stop  right  here.  Only  get 
the  thing  right ;  if  Herrick  and  I  go,  we  take  the 
beer.     Savvy?" 

"  Oh,  I  don't  want  to  shove  my  oar  in,"  returned 
Huish.  "  I  '11  cut  right  enough.  Give  me  the 
swipes.  You  can  jaw  till  you  're  blue  in  the  face, 
for  what  I  care.  I  don't  think  it 's  the  friendly 
touch  ;  that 's  all."  And  he  shambled,  grumbling, 
out  of  the  cell  into  the  staring  sun. 

The  captain  watched  him  clear  of  the  courtyard, 
then  turned  to  Herrick. 

"  What  is  it  ?  "  asked  Herrick,  thickly. 

"  I  '11  tell  you,"  said  Davis.  "  I  want  to  consult 
you.  It's  a  chance  we've  got.  What 's  that  ?  " 
he  cried,  pointing  to  the  music  on  the  wall. 

"What?"  said  the  other.  "Oh,  that!  It's 
music ;  it 's  a  phrase  of  Beethoven's  I  was  writ- 
ing up.    It  means  destiny  knocking  at  the  door." 

"  Does  it  ?  "  said  the  captain,  rather  low,  and 
he  went  near  and  studied  the  inscription ;  "  and 
this  French  ?  "  he  asked,  pointing  to  the  Latin. 

"  Oh,  it  just  means  I  should  have  been  luckier  if 
I  had  died  at  home,"  returned  Herrick  impatiently. 
"  What  is  this  business  ?  " 

"  Destiny  knocking  at  the  door,"  repeated  the 
captain;  and  then,  looking  over  his  shoulder, 
"Well,  Mr.  Herrick,  that's  about  what  it  comes 
to,"  he  added. 

"  What  do  mean  ?  Explain  yourself,"  said 
Herrick. 

But  the  captain  was  again  staring  at  the  music. 


44  THE   EBB   TIDE. 

"  About  how  long  ago  since  you  wrote  up  this 
truck  ?  "  he  asked. 

"What  does  it  matter?"  exclaimed  Herrick. 
"  I  dare  say  half  an  hour." 

"  My  God,  it 's  strange  ! "  cried  Davis.  "  There 's 
some  men  would  call  that  accidental ;  not  me. 
That  — "  and  he  drew  his  thick  finger  under  the 
music  —  "  that 's  what  I  call  providence." 

"  You  said  we  had  a  chance  ?  "  asked  Herrick. 

"  Yes,  sir  /  "  said  the  captain,  wheeling  suddenly 
face  to  face  with  his  companion.  "  I  did  so.  If 
you  're  the  man  I  take  you  for,  we  have  a  chance." 

"  I  don't  know  what  you  take  me  for,"  was  the 
reply.     "  You  can  scarce  take  me  too  low." 

"  Shake  hands,  Mr.  Herrick,"  said  the  captain. 
"  I  know  you.  You  're  a  gentleman  and  a  man  of 
spirit.  I  did  n't  want  to  speak  before  that  bummer 
there ;  you  '11  see  why.  But  to  you  I  '11  rip  it  right 
out.     I  got  a  ship," 

"  A  ship  .? "  cried  Herrick.     "  What  ship  ?  " 

"That  schooner  we  saw  this  morning  off  the 
passage." 

"The  schooner  with  the  hospital  flag?  " 

"That's  the  hooker,"  said  Davis.  "She's  the 
*  Farallone,'  hundred  and  sixty  tons  register,  out  of 
'Frisco  for  Sydney,  in  Calif ornia  champagne.  Cap- 
tain, mate,  and  one  hand  all  died  of  small-pox, 
same  as  they  had  round  in  the  Paumotus,  I  guess. 
Captain  and  mate  were  the  only  white  men ;  all 
the  hands  Kanakas ;  seems  a  queer  kind  of  outfit 
from  a  Christian  port.     Three  of  them  left  and  a 


THE   OLD   CALABOOSE.  45 

cook ;  did  n't  know  where  they  were  ;  I  can't  think 
where  they  were  either,  if  you  come  to  that;  Wise- 
man must  have  been  upon  the  booze,  I  guess,  to 
sail  the  course  he  did.  However,  there  he  was, 
dead ;  and  here  were  the  Kanakas  as  good  as  lost. 
They  bummed  around  at  sea  like  the  babes  in  the 
wood,  and  tumbled  end-on  upon  Tahiti.  The 
consul  here  took  charge.  He  offered  the  berth 
to  Williams;  Williams  had  never  had  the  small- 
pox and  backed  down.  That  was  when  I  came 
in  for  the  letter-paper.  I  thought  there  was  some- 
thing up  when  the  consul  asked  me  to  look  in 
again ;  but  I  never  let  on  to  you  fellows,  so 's 
you  'd  not  be  disappointed.  Consul  tried  M'Neil ; 
scared  of  small-pox.  He  tried  Capriati,  that  Cor- 
sican,  and  Leblue,  or  whatever  his  name  is; 
would  n't  lay  a  hand  on  it ;  all  too  fond  of  their 
sweet  lives.  Last  of  all,  when  there  wasn't 
nobody  else  left  to  offer  it  to,  he  offers  it  to  me. 
*  Brown,  will  you  ship  captain  and  take  her  to 
Sydney  ? '  says  he.  '  Let  me  choose  my  own 
mate  and  another  white  hand,'  says  I,  'for  I 
don't  hold  with  this  Kanaka  crew  racket ;  give 
us  all  two  months'  advance  to  get  our  clothes 
and  instruments  out  of  pawn,  and  I  '11  take  stock 
to-night,  fill  up  stores,  and  get  to  sea  to-morrow 
before  dark! '  That's  what  I  said.  '  That's  good 
enough,'  says  the  consul ;  '  and  you  can  x:ount  your- 
self damned  lucky.  Brown,'  says  he.  And  he  said 
it  pretty  meaningful-appearing,  too.  However, 
that's  all  one  now.     I  '11  ship   Huish  before  the 


46  THE   EBB   TIDE. 

mast,  —  of  course  I  *11  let  him  berth  aft ;  and  I  '11 
ship  you  mate  at  seventy-five  dollars  and  two 
months'  advance.'* 

"  Me  mate  ?  Why,  I  'm  a  landsman !  "  cried 
Herrick. 

"  Guess  you  've  got  to  learn,"  said  the  captain. 
"  You  don't  fancy  I  'm  going  to  skip  and  leave  you 
rotting  on  the  beach  perhaps  ?  I  'm  not  that  sort, 
old  man.  And  you  're  handy,  anyway ;  I  've  been 
shipmates  with  worse." 

"  God  knows  I  can't  refuse,"  said  Herrick. 
"  God  knows  I  thank  you  from  my  heart." 

"That's  all  right,"  said  the  captain.  "But  it 
ain't  all."     He  turned  aside  to  light  a  cigar. 

**  What  else  is  there  ?  "  asked  the  other,  with  a 
pang  of  indefinable  alarm. 

"  I  'm  coming  to  that,"  said  Davis,  and  then 
paused  a  little.  "See  here,"  he  began,  holding 
out  his  cigar  between  his  finger  and  thumb,  "  sup- 
pose you  figure  up  what  this  '11  amount  to.  You 
don't  catch  on?  Well,  we  get  two  months'  ad- 
vance; we  can't  get  away  from  Papeete  —  our 
creditors  would  n't  let  us  go  —  for  less.  It  '11  take 
us  along  about  two  months  to  get  to  Sydney;  and 
when  we  get  there  —  I  just  want  to  put  it  to  you 
squarely  —  what  the  better  are  we  ?  " 

"  We  're  off  the  beach,  at  least,"  said  Herrick. 

"  I  guess  there  's  a  beach  at  Sydney,"  returned 
the  captain ;  "  and  I  '11  tell  you  one  thing,  Mr. 
Herrick —  I  don't  mean  to  try.  No,  sir  !  Sydney 
will  never  see  me.'* 


THE  OLD   CALABOOSE.  47 

"  Speak  out  plain,"  said  Herrick. 

"  Plain  Dutch,"  replied  the  captain,  "  I  'm  going 
to  own  that  schooner.  It's  nothing  new;  it's 
done  every  year  in  the  Pacific.  Stephens  stole  a 
schooner  the  other  day,  did  n't  he  ?  Hayes  and 
Pease  stole  vessels  all  the  time.  And  it 's  the  mak- 
ing of  the  crowd  of  us.  See  here,  you  think  of 
that  cargo.  Champagne  !  Why,  it 's  like  as  if  it 
was  put  up  on  purpose.  In  Peru,  we '11  sell  that 
liquor  off  at  the  pier  head,  and  the  schooner  after 
it,  if  we  can  find  a  fool  to  buy  her,  and  then  light 
out  for  the  mines.  If  you'll  back  me  up,  I  stake 
my  life  I  '11  carry  it  through." 

"  Captain,"  said  Herrick,  with  a  quailing  voice, 
"  don't  do  it !  " 

"  I  'm  desperate,"  returned  Davis.  "  I  've  got  a 
chance;  I  may  never  get  another.  Herrick,  say 
the  word ;  back  me  up.  I  think  we  've  starved  to- 
gether long  enough  for  that." 

"  I  can't  do  it.  I  'm  sorry.  I  can't  do  it.  I  've 
not  fallen  as  low  as  that,"  said  Herrick,  deadly 
pale. 

"What  did  you  say  this  morning?"  said  Davis. 
"  That  you  could  n't  beg  ?  It 's  the  one  thing  or  the 
other,  my  son." 

"Ah,  but  this  is  the  jail!"  cried  Herrick. 
"  Don't  tempt  me.     It 's  the  jail." 

"  Did  you  hear  what  the  skipper  said  on  board 
that  schooner  ?  "  pursued  the  captain.  "  Well,  I 
tell  you  he  talked  straight.  The  French  have  let 
us  alone  a  long  time ;  it  can't  last  longer.     They  've 


48  THE   EBB   TIDE. 

got  their  eye  on  us,  and  as  sure  as  you  live,  in  three 
weeks  you  '11  be  in  jail,  whatever  you  do.  I  read  it 
in  the  consul's  face." 

"You  forget,  captain,"  said  the  young  man. 
"  There  is  another  way.  I  can  die ;  and  to  say 
truth,  I  think  I  should  have  died  three  years  ago." 

The  captain  folded  his  arms  and  looked  the  other 
in  the  face.  "  Yes,"  said  he,  "  yes,  you  can  cut 
your  throat ;  that 's  a  frozen  fact.  Much  good 
may  it  do  you !     And  where  do  I  come  in  ?  " 

The  light  of  a  strange  excitement  came  in  Her- 
rick's  face.  "  Both  of  us,"  said  he,  "  both  of  us 
together.  It's  not  possible  you  can  enjoy  this 
business.  Come,"  and  he  reached  out  a  timid 
hand,  "  a  few  strokes  in  the  lagoon  —  and  rest ! " 

"  I  tell  you,  Herrick,  I  'm  'most  tempted  to  an- 
swer you  the  way  the  man  does  in  the  Bible,  and 
say,  '  Get  thee  behind  me,  Satan  ! '"  said  the  cap- 
tain. "  What !  you  think  I  would  go  drown  myself, 
and  I  got  children  starving?  Enjoy  it?  No,  by 
God !  I  do  not  enjoy  it ;  but  it 's  the  row  I  've  got 
to  hoe,  and  I  '11  hoe  it  till  I  drop  right  here.  I  have 
three  of  them,  you  see,  two  boys  and  the  one  girl, 
Adar.  The  trouble  is  that  you  are  not  a  parent 
yourself.  I  tell  you,  Herrick,  I  love  you,"  the  man 
broke  out.  "  I  did  n't  take  to  you  at  first,  you  were 
so  Anglified  and  tony,  but  I  love  you  now ;  it 's  a 
man  that  loves  you  stands  here  and  wrestles  with 
you.  I  can't  go  to  sea  with  the  bummer  alone  ;  it 's 
not  possible.  Go  drown  yourself,  and  there  goes  my 
last  chance,  —  the  last  chance  of  a  poor,  miserable 


THE   OLD   CALABOOSE.  49 

beast  earning  a  crust  to  feed  his  family.  I  can't 
do  nothing  but  sail  ships,  and  I  've  no  papers. 
And  here  I  get  a  chance,  and  you  go  back  on  me  ! 
Ah,  you  've  no  family,  and  that 's  where  the  trouble 
is!" 

"  I  have  indeed,"  said  Herrick. 

"  Yes,  I  know,"  said  the  captain,  "  you  think  so. 
But  no  man  's  got  a  family  till  he 's  got  children. 
It 's  only  the  kids  count.  There 's  something  about 
the  little  shavers  —  I  can't  talk  of  them.  And  if 
you  thought  a  cent  about  this  father  that  I  hear 
you  talk  of,  or  that  sweetheart  you  were  writing  to 
this  morning,  you  would  feel  like  me.  You  would 
say,  '  What  matter  laws,  and  God,  and  that  ?  My 
folks  are  hard  up  ;  I  belong  to  them.  I  '11  get  them 
bread,  or,  by  God !  I  '11  get  them  wealth,  if  I  have 
to  burn  down  London  for  it.'  That 's  what  you 
would  say.  And  I  '11  tell  you  more :  your  heart  is 
saying  so  this  living  minute.  I  can  see  it  in  your 
face.  You  're  thinking,  *  Here  's  poor  friendship 
for  the  man  I  've  starved  along  of ;  and  as  for  the 
girl  that  I  set  up  to  be  in  love  with,  here  's  a  mighty 
limp  kind  of  a  love  that  won't  carry  me  as  far  as 
'most  any  man  would  go  for  a  demijohn  of  whiskey.' 
There 's  not  much  romance  to  that  love,  anyway ; 
it 's  not  the  kind  they  carry  on  about  in  song  books. 
But  what 's  the  good  of  my  carrying  on  talking, 
when  it 's  all  in  your  inside  as  plain  as  print  ?  I 
put  the  question  to  you  once  for  all.  Are  you 
going  to  desert  me  in  my  hour  of  need  —  you  know 
if  I  've  deserted  you  —  or  will  you  give  me  your 
4 


50  THE   EBB   TIDE. 

hand,  and  try  a  fresh  deal,  and  go  home  (as  like  as 
not)  a  millionnaire?  Say  no,  and  God  pity  me! 
Say  yes,  and  I  '11  make  the  little  ones  pray  for  you 
every  night  on  their  bended  knees.  'God  bless 
Mr.  Herrick ! '  that 's  what  they  '11  say,  one  after 
the  other,  the  old  girl  sitting  there  holding  stakes 
at  the  foot  of  the  bed,  and  the  damned  little  inno- 
cents — "  He  broke  off.  "  I  don't  often  rip  out 
about  the  kids,"  he  said,  "  but  when  I  do,  there  's 
something  fetches  loose." 

"  Captain,"  said  Herrick,  faintly,  "  is  there  noth- 
ing else  ?  " 

"  I  '11  prophesy  if  you  like,"  said  the  captain, 
with  renewed  vigor.  "  Refuse  this  because  you 
think  yourself  too  honest,  and  before  a  month  's  out 
you  '11  be  jailed  for  a  sneak-thief.  I  give  you  the 
word  fair.  I  can  see  it,  Herrick,  if  you  can't; 
you  're  breaking  down.  Don't  think,  if  you  refuse 
this  chance,  that  you  '11  go  on  doing  the  evangeli- 
cal ;  you  're  about  through  with  your  stock,  and 
before  you  know  where  you  are,  you  '11  be  right  out 
on  the  other  side.  No,  it's  either  this  for  you,  or 
else  it 's  Caledonia.  I  bet  you  never  were  there, 
and  saw  those  white,  shaved  men,  in  their  dust 
clothes  and  straw  hats,  prowling  around  in  gangs 
in  the  lamplight  at  Noumea ;  they  look  like  wolves, 
and  they  look  like  preachers,  and  they  look  like 
the  sick.  Huish  is  a  daisy  to  the  best  of  them. 
Well,  there 's  your  company.  They  're  waiting  for 
you,  Herrick,  and  you  got  to  go;  and  that's  a 
prophecy." 


THE   OLD  CALABOOSE.  5 1 

And  as  the  man  stood  and  shook  through  his 
great  stature,  he  seemed,  indeed,  like  one  in  whom 
the  spirit  of  divination  worked  and  might  utter 
oracles.  Herrick  looked  at  him  and  looked  away  ; 
it  seemed  not  decent  to  spy  upon  such  agitation, 
and  the  young  man's  courage  sank. 

"  You  talk  of  going  home,"  he  objected.  "  We 
could  never  do  that." 

"  We  could,"  said  the  other.  "  Captain  Brown 
could  n't,  nor  a  Mr.  Hay  that  shipped  mate  with 
him  could  n't.  But  what 's  that  to  do  with  Captain 
Davis  or  Mr.  Herrick,  you  galoot .?  " 

"But  Hayes  had  these  wild  islands  where  he 
used  to  call,"  came  the  next,  fainter  objection. 

"  We  have  the  wild  islands  of  Peru,"  retorted 
Davis.  "  They  were  wild  enough  for  Stephens  no 
longer  agone  than  just  last  year.  I  guess  they  'U 
be  wild  enough  for  us." 

"  And  the  crew  ?  " 

"All  Kanakas.  Come,  I  see  you're  right,  old 
man.  I  see  you  '11  stand  by."  And  the  captain 
once  more  offered  his  hand. 

"Have  it  your  own  way,  then,"  said  Herrick. 
"  I  '11  do  it.  A  strange  thing  for  my  father's  son. 
But  I  '11  do  it.  I  '11  stand  by  you,  man,  for  good  or 
evil." 

"  God  bless  you  ! "  cried  the  captain,  and  stood 
silent.  "  Herrick,"  he  added,  with  a  smile,  "  I  be- 
lieve I  'd  have  died  in  my  tracks  if  you  'd  have  said 


52  THE   EBB   TIDE. 

And  Herrick,  looking  at  the  man,  half  believed 
so  also. 

"  And  now  we  '11  go  break  it  to  the  bummer," 
said  Davis. 

"  I  wonder  how  he  '11  take  it,"  said  Herrick. 

"  Him  ?    Jump  at  it !  "  was  the  reply. 


CHAPTER   IV. 

THE    YELLOW    FLAG. 

1  HE  schooner  'Farallone'  lay  well  out  in 
the  jaws  of  the  pass,  where  the  terrified  pilot 
had  made  haste  to  bring  her  to  her  moorings  and 
escape.  Seen  from  the  beach,  through  the  thin 
line  of  shipping,  two  objects  stood  conspicuous 
to  seaward,  —  the  little  isle,  on  the  one  hand,  with 
its  palms,  and  the  guns  and  batteries  raised  forty 
years  before  in  defence  of  Queen  Pomard's  capital ; 
the  outcast  '  Farallone '  upon  the  other,  banished 
to  the  threshold  of  the  port,  rolling  there  to  her 
scuppers,  and  flaunting  the  plague  flag  as  she 
rolled.  A  few  sea-birds  screamed  and  cried 
about  the  ship,  and  within  easy  range  a  man- 
of-war  guard-boat  hung  off  and  on,  and  glittered 
with  the  weapons  of  marines.  The  exuberant 
daylight  and  the  blinding  heaven  of  the  tropics 
picked  out  and  framed  the  picture. 

A  neat  boat,  manned  by  natives  in  uniform, 
and  steered  by  the  doctor  of  the  port,  put  from 
shore  towards  three  of  the  afternoon,  and  pulled 
smartly  for  the  schooner.  The  foresheets  were 
heaped  with  sacks  of  flour,  onions,  and  potatoes, 


54  THE   EBB   TIDE. 

perched  among  which  was  Huish,  dressed  as  a 
foremast  hand;  a  heap  of  chests  and  cases  im- 
peded the  action  of  the  oarsmen;  and  in  the 
stem,  by  the  left  hand  of  the  doctor,  sat  Herrick, 
dressed  in  a  fresh  rig  of  slops,  his  brown  beard 
trimmed  to  a  point,  a  pile  of  paper  novels  on  his 
lap,  and  nursing  the  while  between  his  feet  a 
chronometer,  for  which  they  had  exchanged  that 
of  the  *  Farallone,'  long  since  run  down  and  the 
rate  lost. 

They  passed  the  guard-boat,  exchanging  hails 
with  the  boatswain's  mate  in  charge,  and  drew 
near  at  last  to  the  forbidden  ship.  Not  a  cat 
stirred;  there  was  no  speech  of  man;  and  the 
sea  being  exceedingly  high  outside,  and  the  reef 
close  to  where  the  schooner  lay,  the  clamor  of  the 
surf  hung  round  her  like  the  sound  of  battle. 

"  OhS  la  goelette !  "  sang  out  the  doctor,  with 
his  best  voice. 

Instantly,  from  the  house,  where  they  had  been 
stowing  away  stores,  first  Davis  and  then  the  raga- 
muffin swarthy  crew  made  their  appearance. 

"Hullo,  Hay,  that  you?"  said  the  captain,  lean- 
ing on  the  rail.  "  Tell  the  old  man  to  lay  her 
alongside  as  if  she  was  eggs.  There's  a  hell  of 
a  run  of  sea  here,  and  his  boat's  brittle." 

The  movement  of  the  schooner  was  at  that 
time  more  than  usually  violent.  Now  she  heaved 
her  side  as  high  as  a  deep-sea  steamer's,  and 
showed  the  flashing  of  her  copper;  now  she 
swung  swiftly  toward  the  boat  until  her  scuppers 
gurgled. 


THE   YELLOW   FLAG.  55 

"  I  hope  you  have  sea-legs,"  observed  the  doctor. 
"  You  will  require  them." 

Indeed,  to  board  the  '  Farallone,'  in  that  ex- 
posed position  where  she  lay,  was  an  affair  of  some 
dexterity.  The  less  precious  goods  were  hoisted 
roughly  in;  the  chronometer,  after  repeated  fail- 
ures, was  passed  gently  and  successfully  from  hand 
to  hand,  and  there  remained  only  the  more  difficult 
business  of  embarking  Huish.  Even  that  piece  of 
dead  weight  (shipped  A.  B.  at  eighteen  dollars,  and 
described  by  the  captain  to  the  consul  as  an  inval- 
uable man)  was  at  last  hauled  on  board  without 
mishap,  and  the  doctor,  with  civil  salutations,  took 
his  leave. 

The  three  co-adventurers  looked  at  each  other, 
and  Davis  heaved  a  breath  of  relief. 

"Now  let's  get  this  chronometer  fixed,"  said 
he,  and  led  the  way  into  the  house.  It  was  a 
fairly  spacious  place  ;  two  staterooms  and  a  good- 
sized  pantry  opened  from  the  main  cabin.  The 
bulk-heads  were  painted  white,  the  floor  laid  with 
wax-cloth.  No  litter,  no  sign  of  life  remained,  for 
the  effects  of  the  dead  men  had  been  disinfected 
and  conveyed  on  shore.  Only  on  the  table,  in  a 
saucer,  some  sulphur  burned,  and  the  fumes  set 
them  coughing  as  they  entered.  The  captain 
peered  into  the  starboard  stateroom,  where  the 
bedclothes  still  lay  tumbled  in  the  bunk,  the 
blanket  flung  back  as  they  had  flung  it  back  from 
the  disfigured  corpse  before  its  burial. 

"  Now  I  told  those  niggers  to  tumble  that  truck 


56  THE   EBB   TIDE. 

overboard,"  grumbled  Davis.  "Guess  they  were 
afraid  to  lay  hands  on  it.  Well,  they've  hosed 
the  place  out ;  that 's  as  much  as  can  be  expected, 
I  suppose.     Huish,  lay  on  to  these  blankets." 

"  See  you  blooming  well  far  enough  first,"  said 
Huish,  drawing  back. 

"  What 's  that  ?  "  snapped  the  captain.  "  I  'II 
tell  you,  my  young  friend,  I  think  you  make  a 
mistake.     I  *m  captain  here." 

"  Fat  lot  I  care,"  returned  the  clerk. 

"That  so?"  said  Davis.  "Then  you'll  berth 
forward  with  the  niggers !  Walk  right  out  of  this 
cabin." 

"  Oh,  I  dessay  !  "  said  Huish.  "  See  any  green 
in  my  eye  ?    A  lark  's  a  lark." 

"  Well,  now,  I  '11  explain  this  business,  and 
you  '11  see  (once  for  all)  just  precisely  how  much 
lark  there  is  to  it,"  said  Davis.  "  I  'm  captain, 
and  I  'm  going  to  be  it.  One  thing  of  three. 
First,  you  take  my  orders  here  as  cabin  steward, 
in  which  case  you  mess  with  us.  Or,  second, 
you  refuse,  and  I  pack  you  forward,  and  you  get 
as  quick  as  the  word  's  said.  Or,  third  and  last, 
I  '11  signal  that  man-of-war  and  send  you  ashore 
under  arrest  for  mutiny." 

"  And  of  course  I  would  n't  blow  the  gaff  ?  Oh, 
no  !  "  replied  the  jeering  Huish. 

"  And  who 's  to  believe  you,  my  son  ?  "  inquired 
the  captain.  "  No,  szr !  There  ain't  no  lark 
about  my  captainizing.  Enough  said.  Up  with 
these  blankets." 


THE   YELLOW   FLAG.  57 

Huish  was  no  fool,  —  he  knew  when  he  was 
beaten;  and  he  was  no  coward,  either,  for  he 
stepped  to  the  bunk,  took  the  infected  bed-clothes 
fairly  in  his  arms,  and  carried  them  out  of  the  house 
without  a  check  or  tremor. 

"  I  was  waiting  for  the  chance,"  said  Davis  to 
Herrick.  "  I  need  n't  do  the  same  with  you,  be- 
cause you  understand  it  for  yourself." 

"  Are  you  going  to  berth  here  ?  "  asked  Herrick, 
following  the  captain  into  the  stateroom,  where  he 
began  to  adjust  the  chronometer  in  its  place  at  the 
bed-head. 

"  Not  much  ! "  replied  he.  "  I  guess  I  '11  berth  on 
deck.  I  don't  know  as  I  'm  afraid,  but  I  've  no  im- 
mediate use  for  confluent  small-pox." 

"  I  don't  know  that  I  'm  afraid  either,"  said  Her- 
rick. "  But  the  thought  of  those  two  men  sticks  in 
my  throat,  —  that  captain  and  mate  dying  here,  one 
opposite  to  the  other.  It's  grim.  I  wonder  what 
they  said  last !  " 

"  Wiseman  and  Wishart  ^ "  said  the  captain. 
"  Probably  mighty  small  potatoes.  That 's  the 
thing  a  fellow  figures  out  for  himself  one  way,  and 
the  real  business  goes  quite  another.  Perhaps 
Wiseman  said,  '  Here,  old  man,  fetch  up  the  gin ; 
I  'm  feeling  powerful  rocky.'  And  perhaps  Wis- 
hart said,  *  Oh,  hell ! '  " 

"  Well,  that 's  grim  enough,"  said  Herrick. 

"  And  so  it  is,"  said  Davis.  "  There ;  there  's 
that  chronometer  fixed.  And  now  it 's  about  time 
to  up  anchor  and  clear  out." 


S8  THE   EBB   TIDE. 

He  lit  a  cigar  and  stepped  on  deck. 

"  Here,  you  !  What 's  your  name  ?  "  he  cried  to 
one  of  the  hands,  a  lean-flanked,  clean-built  fellow 
from  some  far  Western  island,  and  of  a  darkness 
almost  approaching  to  the  African. 

"  Sally  Day,"  replied  the  man. 

"  Devil  it  is  !  "  said  the  captain.  "  Did  n't  know 
we  had  ladies  on  board.  Well,  Sally,  oblige  me  by 
hauling  down  that  rag  there.  I  '11  do  the  same  for 
you  another  time."  He  watched  the  yellow  bunt- 
ing as  it  was  eased  past  the  cross-trees  and  handed 
down  on  deck.  "  You  '11  float  no  more  on  this 
ship,"  he  observed.  "  Muster  the  people  aft,  Mr. 
Hay,"  he  added,  speaking  unnecessarily  loud. 
"  I  've  a  word  to  say  to  them." 

It  was  with  a  singular  sensation  that  Herrick 
prepared  for  the  first  time  to  address  a  crew.  He 
thanked  his  stars,  indeed,  that  they  were  natives. 
But  even  natives,  he  reflected,  might  be  critics  too 
quick  for  such  a  novice  as  himself ;  they  might  per- 
ceive some  lapse  from  that  precise  and  cut-and-dry 
English  which  prevails  on  board  a  ship;  it  was 
even  possible  they  understood  no  other;  and  he 
racked  his  brain,  and  overhauled  his  reminiscences 
of  sea  romance,  for  some  appropriate  words. 

"Here,  men,  tumble  aft!"  he  said  at  last. 
"  Lively  now !     All  hands  aft ! " 

They  crowded  in  the  alleyway  like  sheep. 

"  Here  they  are,  sir,"  said  Herrick. 

For  some  time  the  captain  continued  to  face  the 
stern,  then  turned  with  ferocious  suddenness  on  the 
crew,  and  seemed  to  enjoy  their  shrinking. 


THE   YELLOW   FLAG.  59 

"  Now,"  he  said,  twisting  his  cigar  in  his  mouth, 
and  toying  with  the  spokes  of  the  wheel,  "  I  'm 
Captain  Brown.  I  command  this  ship.  This  is 
Mr.  Hay,  first  officer.  The  other  white  man  is 
cabin  steward,  but  he  '11  stand  watch  and  do  his 
trick.  My  orders  shall  be  obeyed  smartly.  You 
savvy,  smartly  ?  There  shall  be  no  growling  about 
the  kaikai,  which  will  be  above  allowance.  You  '11 
put  a  handle  to  the  mate's  name,  and  tack  on  *  sir ' 
to  every  order  I  give  you.  If  you  're  smart  and 
quick,  I  '11  make  this  ship  comfortable  for  all 
hands."  He  took  the  cigar  out  of  his  mouth.  "  If 
you  're  not,"  he  added,  in  a  roaring  voice,  "  I  '11 
make  it  a  floating  hell.  Now,  Mr.  Hay,  we  '11  pick 
watches,  if  you  please." 

"  All  right,"  said  Herrick. 

"  You  will  please  use  *  sir'  when  you  address  me, 
Mr.  Hay,"  said  the  captain.  "  I  '11  take  the  lady. 
Step  to  starboard,  Sally."  And  then  he  whispered 
in  Herrick's  ear:  "  Take  the  old  man." 

"  I  '11  take  you  there,"  said  Herrick.  >,. 

"  What 's  your  name  ? "  said  the  captain. 
"What's  that  you  say?  Oh,  that's  not  Eng- 
lish ;  I  '11  have  none  of  your  highway  gibberish 
on  my  ship.  We'll  call  you  old  Uncle  Ned, 
because  you  've  got  no  wool  on  the  top  of  your 
head,  just  the  place  where  the  wool  ought  to 
grow.  Step  to  port,  Uncle.  Don't  you  hear 
Mr.  Hay  has  picked  you  ?  Then  I  '11  take  the 
white  man.  White  Man,  step  to  starboard.  Now 
which  of  you  two  is  the  cook  }    You  ?    Then  Mr. 


6o  THE   EBB  TIDE. 

Hay  takes  your  friend  in  the  blue  dungaree.  Step 
to  port,  Dungaree.  There !  we  know  who  we  all 
are — Dungaree,  Uncle  Ned,  Sally  Day,  White 
Man,  and  Cook.  All  F.F.V.'s,  I  guess.  And  now, 
Mr.  Hay,  we  '11  up  anchor,  if  you  please." 

"  For  heaven's  sake,  tell  me  some  of  the  words," 
whispered  Herrick. 

An  hour  later  the  *  Farallone '  was  under  all 
plain  sail,  the  rudder  hard  a-port,  and  the  cheer- 
fully clanking  windlass  had  brought  the  anchor 
home. 

"  All  clear,  sir,"  cried  Herrick,  from  the  bow. 

The  captain  met  her  with  the  wheel,  as  she 
bounded  like  a  stag  from  her  repose,  trembling 
and  bending  to  the  puffs.  The  guard-boat  gave 
a  parting  hail,  the  wake  whitened  and  ran  out ; 
the  '  Farallone '  was  under  way. 

Her  berth  had  been  close  to  the  pass.  Even  as 
she  forged  ahead,  Davis  slewed  her  for  the  chan- 
nel between  the  pier  ends  of  the  reef,  the  breakers 
sounding  and  whitening  to  either  hand.  Straight 
through  the  narrow  band  of  blue  she  shot  to  sea- 
ward, and  the  captain's  heart  exulted  as  he  felt  her 
tremble  under  foot,  and  (looking  back  over  the  ta£E- 
rail)  beheld  the  roofs  of  Papeete  changing  position 
on  the  shore,  and  the  island  mountains  rearing 
higher  in  the  wake. 

But  they  were  not  yet  done  with  the  shore  and 
the  horror  of  the  yellow  flag.  About  midway  of 
the  pass  there  was  a  cry  and  a  scurry  ;  a  man  was 
seen  to  leap  upon  the  rail,  and,  throwing  his  arms 
over  his  head,  to  stoop  and  plunge  into  the  sea. 


THE   YELLOW  FLAG.  6l 

"  Steady  as  she  goes,"  the  captain  cried,  relin- 
quishing the  wheel  to  Huish. 

The  next  moment  he  was  forward,  in  the  midst  of 
the  Kanakas,  belaying-pin  in  hand. 

"Anybody  else  for  shore.?"  he  cried,  and  the 
savage  trumpeting  of  his  voice,  no  less  than  the 
ready  weapon  in  his  hand,  struck  fear  in  all. 
Stupidly  they  stared  after  their  escaped  compan- 
ion, whose  black  head  was  visible  upon  the  water, 
steering  for  the  land.  And  the  schooner  mean- 
while slipped  like  a  racer  through  the  pass,  and 
met  the  long  sea  of  the  open  ocean  with  a  souse 
of  spray. 

"  Fool  that  I  was,  not  to  have  a  pistol  ready  !  " 
exclaimed  Davis.  "Well,  we  go  to  sea  short- 
handed;  we  can't  help  that.  You  have  a  lame 
watch  of  it,  Mr.  Hay." 

"  I  don't  see  how  we  are  to  get  along,"  said 
Herrick. 

"  Got  to,"  said  the  captain.  "  No  more  Tahiti 
for  me." 

Both  turned  instinctively  and  looked  astern. 
The  fair  island  was  unfolding,  mountain  top  on 
mountain  top ;  Eimeo,  on  the  port  board,  lifted  her 
splintered  pinnacles,  and  still  the  schooner  raced  to 
the  open  sea. 

"Think!"  cried  the  captain,  with  a  gesture, 
"yesterday  morning  I  danced  for  my  breakfast 
like  a  poodle  dog." 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE   CARGO   OF    CHAMPAGNE. 

X  HE  ship's  head  was  laid  to  clear  Eimeo  to  the 
north,  and  the  captain  sat  down  in  the  cabin  with 
a  chart,  a  ruler,  and  an  epitome. 

"  East  a  half  no'the,"  said  he,  raising  his  face 
from  his  labors.  "  Mr.  Hay,  you  '11  have  to  watch 
her  dead  reckoning.  I  want  every  yard  she  makes 
on  every  hair's  breadth  of  a  course.  I  'm  going  to 
knock  a  hole  right  straight  through  the  Paumotus, 
and  that's  always  a  near  touch.  Now,  if  this 
southeast  trade  ever  blew  out  of  the  southeast, 
which  it  don't,  we  might  hope  to  lie  within  half  a 
point  of  our  course.  Say  we  lie  within  a  point  of 
it.  That'll  just  about  weather  Fakarava.  Yes, 
sir,  that 's  what  we  've  got  to  do,  if  we  tack  for  it. 
Brings  us  through  this  slush  of  httle  islands  in  the 
cleanest  place  ;  see  ?  "  And  he  showed  where  his 
ruler  intersected  the  wide-lying  labyrinth  of  the 
Dangerous  Archipelago.  "  I  wish  it  was  night, 
and  I  could  put  her  about  right  now ;  we  're  losing 
time  and  easting.  Well,  we  '11  do  our  best.  And 
if  we  don't  fetch  Peru,  we  '11  bring  up  to  Ecuador. 
All  one,  I  guess.     Depreciated  dollars  down,  and 


THE  CARGO   OF   CHAMPAGNE.  63 

no  questions  asked.  A  remarkable  fine  institoo- 
tion,  the  South  American  don." 

Tahiti  was  already  some  way  astern,  the  Dia- 
,  dem  rising  from  among  broken  mountains  ;  Eimeo 
was  already  close  aboard,  and  stood  black  and 
strange  against  the  golden  splendor  of  the  west, 
when  the  captain  took  his  departure  from  the  two 
islands,  and  the  patent  log  was  set. 

Some  twenty  minutes  later,  Sally  Day,  who  was 
continually  leaving  the  wheel  to  peer  in  at  the 
cabin  clock,  announced  in  a  shrill  cry  "  Fo'  Bell," 
and  the  cook  was  to  be  seen  carrying  the  soup  into 
the  cabin. 

"  I  guess  I  '11  sit  down  and  have  a  pick  with 
you,"  said  Davis  to  Herrick.  "  By  the  time  I  've 
done,  it  '11  be  dark,  and  we  '11  clap  the  hooker  on 
the  wind  for  South  America." 

In  the  cabin,  at  one  corner  of  the  table,  immedi- 
ately below  the  lamp,  and  on  the  lee  side  of  a 
bottle  of  champagne,  sat  Huish. 

"  What 's  this  ?  Where  did  that  come  from  ?  " 
asked  the  captain. 

"  It 's  fizz ;  and  it  came  from  the  after-'old,  if 
you  want  to  know,"  said  Huish,  and  drained  his 
mug. 

"  This  '11  never  do  !  "  exclaimed  Davis,  the  mer- 
chant seaman's  horror  of  breaking  into  cargo  show- 
ing incongruously  forth  on  board  that  stolen  ship. 
"  There  was  never  any  good  came  of  games  like 
that." 

"You  byby!"  said   Huish.     "A  fellow  would 


64  THE   EBB   TIDE. 

think  (to  'ear  him)  we  were  on  the  square !  And 
look  'ere,  you've  put  this  job  up  'andsomely  for 
me,  'ave  n't  you  ?  I  'm  to  go  on  deck  and  steer 
while  you  two  sit  and  guzzle,  and  I  'm  to  go  by  a 
nickname,  and  got  to  call  you  '  sir '  and  '  mister.' 
Well,  you  look  here,  my  bloke  ;  I  '11  have  fizz  ad 
lib.,  or  it  won't  wash.  I  tell  you  that.  And  you 
know  mighty  well  you  ain't  got  any  man-of-war  to 
signal  now." 

Davis  was  staggered.  "  I  'd  give  fifty  dollars 
this  had  never  happened,"  he  said  weakly. 

"Well,  it  ''as  'appened,  you  see,"  returned  Huish. 
"  Try  some  ;  it 's  devilish  good." 

The  Rubicon  was  crossed  without  another  strug- 
gle.    The  captain  filled  a  mug  and  drank. 

"  I  wish  it  was  beer,"  he  said  with  a  sigh.  "  But 
there  's  no  denying  it 's  the  genuine  stuff,  and  cheap 
at  the  money.  Now,  Huish,  you  clear  out  and 
take  your  wheel." 

The  little  wretch  had  gained  a  point,  and  he 
was  gay.  "  Ay,  ay,  sir,"  said  he,  and  left  the 
others  to  their  meal. 

"  Pea  soup  !  "  exclaimed  the  captain.  "  Blamed 
if  I  thought  I  should  taste  pea  soup  again  !  " 

Herrick  sat  inert  and  silent.  It  was  impossible, 
after  these  months  of  hopeless  want,  to  smell  the 
rough,  high-spiced  sea  victuals  without  lust,  and  his 
mouth  watered  with  desire  of  the  champagne.  It 
was  no  less  impossible  to  have  assisted  at  the 
scene  between  Huish  and  the  captain,  and  not  to 
perceive,  with  sudden  bluntness,  the  gulf  wherein 


THE   CARGO   OF   CHAMPAGNE.  65 

he  had  fallen.  He  was  a  thief  among  thieves.  He 
said  it  to  himself.  He  could  not  touch  the  soup.  If 
he  had  moved  at  all,  it  must  have  been  to  leave  the 
table,  throw  himself  overboard,  and  drown  —  an 
honest  man. 

"Here,"  said  the  captain,  "you  look  sick,  old 
man  ;  have  a  drop  of  this." 

The  champagne  creamed  and  bubbled  in  the 
mug  ;  its  bright  color,  its  lively  effervescence  seized 
his  eye.  "It  is  too  late  to  hesitate,"  he  thought. 
His  hand  took  the  mug  instinctively ;  he  drank, 
with  unquenchable  pleasure  and  desire  of  more; 
drained  the  vessel  dry,  and  set  it  down  with  spark- 
ling eyes. 

"  There  is  something  in  life  after  all ! "  he  cried. 
"  I  had  forgot  what  it  was  like.  Yes,  even  this  is 
worth  while.  Wine,  food,  dry  clothes  —  why, 
they  're  worth  dying,  worth  hanging  for !  Cap- 
tain, tell  me  one  thing :  why  are  n't  all  the  poor 
folk  foot-pads  ?  " 

"  Give  it  up,"  said  the  captain. 

"  They  must  be  damned  good,"  cried  Herrick. 
"  There  's  something  here  beyond  me.  Think  of 
that  calaboose !  Suppose  we  were  sent  suddenly 
back !  "  He  shuddered  as  though  stung  by  a  con- 
vulsion, and  buried  his  face  in  his  clutching  hands. 

"  Here,  what 's  wrong  with  you  ? "  cried  the 
captain.  There  was  no  reply;  only  Herrick's 
shoulders  heaved  so  that  the  table  was  shaken. 
"Take  some  more  of  this.  Here,  drink  this.  I 
order  you  to !  Don't  start  crying  when  you  're 
out  of  the  wood." 

S 


66  THE   EBB  TIDE. 

"  I  'm  not  crying,"  said  Herrick,  raising  his  face 
and  showing  his  dry  eyes.  "  It 's  worse  than  cry- 
ing. It 's  the  horror  of  that  grave  that  we  've 
escaped  from." 

"  Come,  now,  you  tackle  your  soup ;  that  '11  fix 
you,"  said  Davis,  kindly.  "  I  told  you  you  were 
all  broken  up.  You  could  n't  have  stood  out  an- 
other week." 

"  That 's  the  dreadful  part  of  it ! "  cried  Herrick. 
"  Another  week,  and  I  'd  have  murdered  some  one 
for  a  dollar  !  God  !  and  I  know  that  ?  And  I  'm 
still  living  ?     It 's  some  beastly  dream." 

"  Quietly,  quietly !  Quietly  does  it,  my  son. 
Take  your  pea  soup.  Food  —  that's  what  you 
want,"  said  Davis. 

The  soup  strengthened  and  quieted  Herrick's 
nerves;  another  glass  of  wine,  and  a  piece  of 
pickled  pork  and  fried  banana  completed  what  the 
soup  began,  and  he  was  able  once  more  to  look 
the  captain  in  the  face. 

"  I  did  n't  know  I  was  so  much  run  down,"  he 
said. 

"  Well,"  said  Davis,  "  you  were  as  steady  as  a 
rock  all  day ;  now  you  've  had  a  little  lunch,  you  '11 
be  as  steady  as  a  rock  again." 

"  Yes,"  was  the  reply,  "  I  'm  steady  enough  now, 
but  I  'm  a  queer  kind  of  a  first  officer." 

"  Shucks  ! "  cried  the  captain.  "  You  've  only 
got  to  mind  the  ship's  course,  and  keep  your  slate 
to  half  a  point.  A  babby  could  do  that ;  let  alone 
a  college  graduate  like  you.     There  ain't  nothing 


THE   CARGO  OF   CHAMPAGNE.  67 

to  sailoring,  when  you  come  to  look  it  in  the  face. 
And  now  we  '11  go  and  put  her  about.  Bring  the 
slate ;  we  '11  have  to  start  our  dead  reckoning  right 
away." 

The  distance  run  since  the  departure  was  read 
off  the  log  by  the  binnacle  light,  and  entered  on 
the  slate. 

"Ready  about,"  said  the  captain.  "Give  me 
the  wheel.  White  Man,  and  you  stand  by  the 
mainsheet.  Boom  tackle,  Mr.  Hay,  please,  and 
then  you  can  jump  forward  and  attend  head-sails." 

"Ay,  ay,  sir,"  responded  Herrick. 

"  All  clear  forward  ?  "  asked  Davis. 

"  All  clear,  sir." 

"  Hard  a-lee  !  "  cried  the  captain.  "  Haul  in 
your  slack  as  she  comes,"  he  called  to  Huish. 
"  Haul  in  your  slack;  put  your  back  into  it  ;  keep 
your  feet  out  of  the  coils."  A  sudden  blow  sent 
Huish  flat  along  the  deck,  and  the  captain  was  in 
his  place.  "  Pick  yourself  up  and  keep  the  wheel 
hard  over ! "  he  roared.  "  You  wooden  fool,  you 
wanted  to  get  killed,  I  guess.  Draw  the  jib,"  he 
cried  a  moment  later ;  and  then  to  Huish,  "  Give 
me  the  wheel  again,  and  see  if  you  can  coil  that 
sheet." 

But  Huish  stood  and  looked  at  Davis  with  an 
evil  countenance.  "  Do  you  know  you  struck 
me?"  said  he. 

"  Do  you  know  I  saved  your  life  ?  "  returned  the 
other,  not  deigning  to  look  at  him ;  his  eyes  travel- 
ling, instead,  between  the  compass  and  the  sails. 


68  THE   EBB   TIDE. 

"  Where  would  you  have  been  if  that  boom  had 
swung  out  and  you  bundled  in  the  slack?  No, 
stry  we  '11  have  no  more  of  you  at  the  mainsheet. 
Seaport  towns  are  full  of  mainsheet-men ;  they  hop 
upon  one  leg,  my  son,  what 's  left  of  them,  and  the 
rest  are  dead.  (Set  your  boom  tackle,  Mr.  Hay.) 
Struck  you,  did  I  ?    Lucky  for  you  I  did." 

"  Well,"  said  Huish,  slowly,  "  I  dessay  there  may 
be  somethink  in  that.  'Ope  there  is."  He  turned 
his  back  elaborately  on  the  captain,  and  entered 
the  house,  where  the  speedy  explosion  of  a  cham- 
pagne cork  showed  he  was  attending  to  his 
comfort. 

Herrick  came  aft  to  the  captain.  "  How  is  she 
doing  now  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  East  and  by  no'the  a  half  no'the,"  said  Davis, 
"  It 's  about  as  good  as  I  expected." 

"  What  '11  the  hands  think  of  it  ?  "  said  Herrick. 

"  Oh,  they  don't  think.  They  ain't  paid  to,"  said 
the  captain. 

"  There  was  something  wrong,  was  there  not, 
between  you  and  —  "     Herrick  paused. 

"That's  a  nasty  little  beast;  that's  a  biter," 
replied  the  captain,  shaking  his  head.  "  But  so 
long  as  you  and  me  hang  in,  it  don't  matter." 

Herrick  lay  down  in  the  weather  alleyway ;  the 
night  was  cloudless;  the  movement  of  the  ship 
cradled  him;  he  was  oppressed,  besides,  by  the 
first  generous  meal  after  so  long  a  time  of  famine, 
and  he  was  recalled  from  deep  sleep  by  the  voice 
of  Davis  singing  out :  "  Eight  bells !  " 


THE   CARGO   OF   CHAMPAGNE.  69 

He  rose  stupidly  and  staggered  aft,  where  the 
captain  gave  him  the  wheel. 

"  By  the  wind,"  said  the  captain.  "  It  comes  a 
little  puffy ;  when  you  get  a  heavy  puff,  steal  all 
you  can  to  windward,  but  keep  her  a  good  full." 

He  stepped  towards  the  house,  paused,  and 
hailed  the  forecastle.  "  Got  such  a  thing  as  a  con- 
certina forward  ?  "  said  he.  "  Bully  for  you.  Uncle 
Ned.     Fetch  it  aft,  will  you  ?  " 

The  schooner  steered  very  easy;  and  Herrick, 
watching  the  moon-whitened  sails,  was  overpowered 
by  drowsiness.  A  sharp  report  from  the  cabin 
startled  him ;  a  third  bottle  had  been  opened  ;  and 
Herrick  remembered  the  'Sea  Ranger'  and  Four- 
teen Island  Group.  Presently  the  notes  of  the 
accordion  sounded,  and  then  the  captain's  voice: 

*'  O  honey,  with  our  pockets  full  of  money, 

We  will  trip,  trip,  trip,  we  will  trip  it  on  the  quay  ; 
And  I  will  dance  with  Kate,  and  Tom  will  dance  with  Sail, 
When  we're  all  back  from  South  Amerikee." 

So  it  went  to  its  quaint  air ;  and  the  watch  below 
lingered  and  listened  by  the  forward  door,  and 
Uncle  Ned  was  to  be  seen  in  the  moonlight  nod- 
ding time,  and  Herrick  smiled  at  the  wheel,  his 
anxieties  awhile  forgotten.  Song  followed  song ; 
another  cork  exploded ;  there  were  voices  raised, 
as  though  the  pair  in  the  cabin  were  in  disagree- 
ment; and  presently  it  seemed  the  breach  was 
healed,  for  it  was  now  the  voice  of  Huish  that 
struck  up,  to  the  captain's  accompaniment :  — 


70  THE   EBB   TIDE. 

•*  Up  in  a  balloon,  boys, 
Up  in  a  balloon, 
Up  among  the  little  stars, 
All  ^ound  the  moon." 

A  wave  of  nausea  overcame  Herrick  at  the 
wheel.  He  wondered  why  the  air,  the  words 
(which  were  yet  written  with  a  certain  knack),  and 
the  voice  and  accent  of  the  singer,  should  all  jar 
his  spirit  like  a  file  on  a  man's  teeth.  He  sickened 
at  the  thought  of  his  two  comrades  drinking  away 
their  reason  upon  stolen  wine,  quarrelling  and  hic- 
cupping and  making  up,  while  the  doors  of  a 
prison  yawned  for  them  in  the  near  future.  "  Shall 
I  have  sold  my  honor  for  nothing  ?  "  he  thought ; 
and  a  heat  of  rage  and  resolution  glowed  in  his 
bosom,  —  rage  against  his  comrades,  resolution  to 
carry  through  this  business  if  it  might  be  carried ; 
pluck  profit  out  of  shame,  since  the  shame  at  least 
was  now  inevitable;  and  come  home,  home  from 
South  America  —  how  did  the  song  go?  —  "with 
his  pockets  full  of  money." 

"  O  honey,  with  our  pockets  full  of  money, 

We  will  trip,  trip,  trip,  we  will  trip  it  on  the  quay  :  "  — 

so  the  words  ran  in  his  head,  and  the  "  honey " 
took  on  visible  form ;  the  quay  rose  before  him, 
and  he  knew  it  for  the  lamplit  Embankment,  and 
he  saw  the  lights  of  Battersea  bridge  bestride  the 
sullen  river.  All  through  the  remainder  of  his 
trick  he  stood  entranced,  reviewing  the  past.  He 
had  been  always  true  to  his  love,  but  not  always 


THE   CARGO    OF   CHAMPAGNE.  Jl 

sedulous  to  recall  her.  In  the  growing  calamity 
of  his  life,  she  had  swum  more  distant,  like  the 
moon  in  mist.  The  letter  of  farewell,  the  dis- 
honorable hope  that  had  surprised  and  corrupted 
him  in  his  distress,  the  changed  scene,  the  sea,  the 
night,  and  the  music,  —  all  stirred  him  to  the  roots 
of  manhood.  "  I  -will  win  her,"  he  thought,  and 
ground  his  teeth.  "  Fair  or  foul,  what  matters  if  I 
win  her .?  " 

"  Fo'  bell,  matey.  I  think  um  fo'  bell."  He  was 
suddenly  recalled  by  these  words  in  the  voice  of 
Uncle  Ned. 

"  Look  in  at  the  clock,  Uncle,"  said  he.  He 
would  not  look  himself  from  horror  of  the 
tipplers. 

"  Him  past,  matey,"  repeated  the  Hawaiian. 

"  So  much  the  better  for  you,  Uncle,"  he 
replied ;  and  he  gave  up  the  wheel,  repeating  the 
directions  as  he  had  received  them. 

He  took  two  steps  forward,  and  remembered  his 
dead  reckoning.  "  How  has  she  been  heading  ?  " 
he  thought ;  and  he  flushed  from  head  to  foot. 
He  had  not  observed,  or  had  forgotten;  here  was 
the  old  incompetence ;  the  slate  must  be  filled  up 
by  guess.  "  Never  again  !  "  he  vowed  to  himself 
in  silent  fury,  "  never  again.  It  shall  be  no  fault 
of  mine  if  this  miscarry."  And  for  the  remainder 
of  his  watch  he  stood  close  by  Uncle  Ned,  and 
read  the  face  of  the  compass  as,  perhaps,  he  had 
never  read  a  letter  from  his  sweetheart. 

All  the   time,   and  spurring  him  to   the  more 


72  THE   EBB   TIDE. 

attention,  song,  loud  talk,  fleering  laughter,  and  the 
occasional  popping  of  a  cork  reached  his  ears  from 
the  interior  of  the  house  ;  and  when  the  port  watch 
was  relieved  at  midnight,  Huish  and  the  captain 
appeared  upon  the  quarter-deck  with  flushed  faces 
and  uneven  steps,  the  former  laden  with  bottles, 
the  latter  with  the  two  tin  mugs.  Herrick  silently 
passed  them  by.  They  hailed  him  in  thick  voices  ; 
he  made  no  answer.  They  cursed  him  for  a  churl ; 
he  paid  no  heed,  although  his  belly  quivered  with 
disgust  and  rage.  He  closed  to  the  door  of  the 
house  behind  him,  and  cast  himself  on  a  locker  in 
the  cabin  —  not  to  sleep,  he  thought;  rather  to 
think  and  to  despair.  Yet  he  had  scarce  turned 
twice  on  his  uneasy  bed  before  a  drunken  voice 
hailed  him  in  the  ear,  and  he  must  go  on  deck 
again  to  stand  the  morning  watch. 

The  first  evening  set  the  model  for  those  that 
were  to  follow.  Two  cases  of  champagne  scarce 
lasted  the  four  and  twenty  hours,  and  almost  the 
whole  was  drunk  by  Huish  and  the  captain.  Huish 
seemed  to  thrive  on  the  excess.  He  was  never 
sober,  yet  never  wholly  tipsy;  the  food  and  the 
sea  air  had  soon  healed  him  of  his  disease,  and  he 
began  to  lay  on  flesh.  But  with  Davis  things  went 
worse.  In  the  drooping,  unbuttoned  figure  that 
sprawled  all  day  upon  the  lockers,  tippling  and 
reading  novels,  in  the  fool  who  made  of  the  even- 
ing watch  a  public  carouse  on  the  quarter-deck, 
it  would  have  been  hard  to  recognize  the  vigorous 
seaman  of  Papeete  roads.     He  kept  himself  rea- 


THE   CARGO   OF   CHAMPAGNE.  73 

sonably  well  in  hand  till  he  had  taken  the  sun  and 
yawned  and  blotted  through  his  calculations ;  but, 
from  the  moment  he  rolled  up  the  chart,  his  hours 
were  passed  in  slavish  self-indulgence  or  in  hog- 
gish slumber.  Every  other  branch  of  his  duty  was 
neglected,  except  maintaining  a  stern  discipline 
about  the  dinner  table.  Again  and  again,  Herrick 
would  hear  the  cook  called  aft,  and  see  him  run- 
ning with  fresh  tins,  or  carrying  away  again  a  meal 
that  had  been  totally  condemned.  And  the  more 
the  captain  became  sunk  in  drunkenness,  the  more 
delicate  his  palate  showed  itself.  Once  (in  the 
forenoon)  he  had  a  bo'sun's  chair  rigged  over  the 
rail,  stripped  to  his  trousers,  and  went  overboard 
with  a  pot  of  paint,  "  I  don't  like  the  way  this 
schooner 's  painted,"  said  he,  "  and  I  '11  take  a  turn 
upon  her  name."  But  he  tired  of  it  in  half  an  hour, 
and  the  schooner  went  on  her  way  with  an  incon- 
gruous patch  of  color  on  the  stern,  and  the  word 
'Farallone'  part  obliterated  and  part  looking 
through.  He  refused  to  stand  either  the  middle 
or  the  morning  watch.  It  was  fine-weather  sail- 
ing, he  said ;  and  asked,  with  a  laugh,  "  Who  ever 
heard  of  the  old  man  standing  watch  himself?" 
To  the  dead  reckoning,  which  Herrick  still  tried 
to  keep,  he  would  pay  not  the  least  attention  nor 
afford  the  least  assistance. 

"  What  do  we  want  of  dead  reckoning  ? "  he 
asked.     "We  get  the  sun  all  right,  don't  we?" 

"We  mayn't  get  it  always,  though,"  objected 
Herrick.  "  And  you  told  me  yourself  you  were  n't 
sure  of  the  chronometer." 


74  THE  EBB  TIDE. 

"  Oh,  there  ain't  no  flies  on  the  chronometer ! " 
cried  Davis. 

"  Oblige  me  so  far,  captain,"  said  Herrick,  stiffly. 
"  I  am  anxious  to  keep  this  reckoning,  which  is  a 
part  of  my  duty.  I  do  not  know  what  to  allow  for 
current,  nor  how  to  allow  for  it.  I  am  too  inex- 
perienced, and  I  beg  of  you  to  help  me." 

"  Never  discourage  zealous  officer,"  said  the  cap- 
tain, unrolling  the  chart  again,  for  Herrick  had 
taken  him  over  his  day's  work,  and  while  he  was 
still  partly  sober.  "  Here  it  is ;  look  for  yourself ; 
anything  from  the  west-no'the-west,  and  anyways 
from  five  to  twenty-five  miles.  That's  what  the 
A'm'ralty  chart  says.  I  guess  you  don't  expect  to 
get  ahead  of  your  own  Britishers  ?  " 

"  I  am  trying  to  do  my  duty.  Captain  Brown," 
said  Herrick,  with  a  dark  flush  ;  "  and  I  have  the 
honor  to  inform  you  that  I  don't  enjoy  being  trifled 
with." 

"  What  in  thunder  do  you  want  ?  "  roared  Davis. 
"  Go  and  look  at  the  blamed  wake.  If  you  're  try- 
ing to  do  your  duty,  why  don't  you  go  and  do  it  ? 
I  guess  it 's  no  business  of  mine  to  go  and  stick  my 
head  over  the  ship's  rump.  I  guess  it's  yours. 
And  I  '11  tell  you  what  it  is,  my  fine  fellow,  I  '11 
trouble  you  not  to  come  the  dude  over  me.  You  're 
insolent ;  that 's  what 's  wrong  with  you.  Don't  you 
crowd  me,  Mr.  Herrick,  Esquire." 

Herrick  tore  up  his  papers,  threw  them  on  the 
floor,  and  left  the  cabin. 

"  He 's  turned  a  bloomin'  swot,  ain't  he  ? "  sneered 
Huish. 


THE   CARGO   OF   CHAMPAGNE.  y^ 

*'  He  thinks  himself  too  good  for  his  company ; 
that 's  what  ails  Herrick,  Esquire,"  raged  the  cap- 
tain. "He  thinks  I  don't  understand  when  he 
comes  the  heavy  swell.  Won't  sit  down  with  us, 
won't  he  ?  Won't  say  a  civil  word  ?  I  '11  serve  the 
son  of  a  gun  as  he  deserves.  By  God,  Huish,  I  '11 
show  him  whether  he's  too  good  for  John  Davis  !  " 

*'  Easy  with  the  names,  Cap',"  said  Huish,  who 
was  always  the  more  sober.  "Easy  over  the  stones, 
my  boy ! " 

"All  right,  I  will.  You're  a  good  sort,  Huish. 
I  did  n't  take  to  you  at  first,  but  I  guess  you  're 
right  enough.  Le  's  open  another  bottle,"  said  the 
captain ;  and  that  day,  perhaps  because  he  was 
excited  by  the  quarrel,  he  drank  more  recklessly, 
and  by  four  o'clock  was  stretched  insensible  upon 
the  locker. 

Herrick  and  Huish  supped  alone,  one  after  the 
other,  opposite  his  flushed  and  snorting  body.  And 
if  the  sight  killed  Herrick's  hunger,  the  isolation 
weighed  so  heavily  on  the  clerk's  spirit  that  he  was 
scarce  risen  from  table  ere  he  was  currying  favor 
with  his  former  comrade. 

Herrick  was  at  the  wheel  when  he  approached, 
and  Huish  leaned  confidentially  across  the  binnacle. 

"  I  say,  old  chappie,"  he  said,  "  you  and  me  don't 
seem  to  be  such  pals,  somehow." 

Herrick  gave  her  a  spoke  or  two  in  silence ;  his 
eye,  as  it  skirted  from  the  needle  to  the  luff  of  the 
foresail,  passed  the  man  by  without  speculation. 
But  Huish  was  really  dull,  a  thing  he  could  sup- 


76  THE   EBB   TIDE. 

port  with  difficulty,  having  no  resources  of  his  own. 
The  idea  of  a  private  talk  with  Herrick,  at  this 
stage  of  their  relations,  held  out  particular  induce- 
ments to  a  person  of  his  character.  Drink,  besides, 
as  it  renders  some  men  hyper-sensitive,  made  Huish 
callous ;  and  it  would  almost  have  required  a  blow 
to  make  him  quit  his  purpose. 

"  Pretty  business,  ain't  it  ?  "  he  continued.  "  Dyvis 
on  the  lush !  Must  say  I  thought  you  gave  it  'im 
A-one  to-day.  He  didn't  hke  it  a  bit;  took  on 
hawful  after  you  were  gone.  '  'Ere,'  says  I,  *  'old 
on;  easy  on  the  lush,'  I  says.  "Errick  was  right, 
and  you  know  it.  Give  'im  a  chanst,'  I  says. 
'  'Uish,'  sezee,  '  don't  you  gimme  no  more  of  your 
jaw,  or  I  '11  knock  your  bloomin'  eyes  out.'  Well, 
wot  can  I  do,  'Errick?  But  I  tell  you,  I  don't 
'arf  like  it.  It  looks  to  me  like  the  '  Sea  Rynger ' 
over  again." 

Still  Herrick  was  silent. 

"  Do  you  'ear  me  speak  ?  "  asked  Huish,  sharply. 
"  You  're  pleasant,  ain't  you  ?  " 

"  Stand  away  from  that  binnacle,"  said  Herrick. 

The  clerk  looked  at  him,  long  and  straight  and 
black;  his  figure  seemed  to  writhe  like  that  of  a 
snake  about  to  strike ;  then  he  turned  on  his  heel, 
went  back  to  the  cabin,  and  opened  a  bottle  of 
champagne.  When  eight  bells  were  cried,  he  slept 
on  the  floor  beside  the  captain  on  the  locker ;  and 
of  the  whole  starboard  watch,  only  Sally  Day  ap- 
peared upon  the  summons.  The  mate  proposed  to 
stand  the  watch  with  him,  and  let  Uncle  Ned  lie 


THE   CARGO   OF   CHAMPAGNE.  'J'J 

down.  It  would  make  twelve  hours  on  deck,  and 
probably  sixteen ;  but  in  this  fair-weather  sailing, 
he  might  safely  sleep  between  his  tricks  of  wheel, 
leaving  orders  to  be  called  on  any  sign  of  squalls. 
So  far  he  could  trust  the  men,  between  whom  and 
himself  a  close  relation  had  sprung  up.  With  Un- 
cle Ned  he  held  long  nocturnal  conversations,  and 
the  old  man  told  him  his  simple  and  hard  story  of 
exile,  suffering,  and  injustice  among  cruel  whites. 
The  cook,  when  he  found  Herrick  messed  alone, 
produced  for  him  unexpected  and  sometimes  un- 
palatable dainties,  of  which  he  forced  himself  to 
eat.  And  one  day,  when  he  was  forward,  he  was 
surprised  to  feel  a  caressing  hand  run  down  his 
shoulder,  and  to  hear  the  voice  of  Sally  Day  croon- 
ing in  his  ear :  "  You  gootch  man !  "  He  turned, 
and,  choking  down  a  sob,  shook  hands  with  the 
negrito.  They  were  kindly,  cheery,  childish  souls. 
Upon  the  Sunday  each  brought  forth  his  separate 
Bible ;  for  they  were  all  men  of  alien  speech,  even 
to  each  other,  and  Sally  Day  communicated  with 
his  mates  in  English  only.  Each  read,  or  made 
believe  to  read,  his  chapter.  Uncle  Ned  with  spec- 
tacles on  nose,  and  they  would  all  join  together  in 
the  singing  of  missionary  hymns.  It  was  thus  a 
cutting  reproof  to  compare  the  islanders  and  the 
whites  aboard  the  '  Farallone.'  Shame  ran  in 
Herrick's  blood  to  remember  what  employment 
he  was  on,  and  to  see  these  poor  souls  —  and  even 
Sally  Day,  the  child  of  cannibals,  in  all  likelihood  a 
cannibal  himself  —  so  faithful  to  what  they  knew  of 


78  THE  EBB   TIDE. 

good.  The  fact  that  he  was  held  in  grateful  favor 
by  these  innocents  served  like  blinders  to  his  con- 
science, and  there  were  times  when  he  was  inclined, 
with  Sally  Day,  to  call  himself  a  good  man.  But 
the  height  of  his  favor  was  only  now  to  appear. 
With  one  voice  the  crew  protested.  Ere  Herrick 
knew  what  they  were  doing,  the  cook  was  aroused, 
and  came  a  willing  volunteer ;  all  hands  clustered 
about  their  mate  with  expostulations  and  caresses, 
and  he  was  bidden  to  lie  down  and  take  his  cus- 
tomary rest  without  alarm. 

"He  tell  you  tlue,"  said  Uncle  Ned.  "You 
sleep.  Evely  man  hea  he  do  all  light.  Evely  man 
he  like  you  too  much." 

Herrick  struggled  —  choked  upon  some  trivial 
words  of  gratitude  —  and  walked  to  the  side  of  the 
house,  against  which  he  leaned,  struggling  with 
emotion. 

Uncle  Ned  presently  followed  him,  and  begged 
him  to  lie  down. 

"It's  no  use.  Uncle  Ned,"  he  replied.  "I 
could  n't  sleep.  I  'm  knocked  over  with  all  your 
goodness." 

"  Ah,  no  call  me  Uncle  Ned  no  mo' !  "  cried  the 
old  man.  "  No  my  name !  My  name  Taveeta, 
all-e-same  Taveeta,  King  of  Islael.  Wat  for  he 
call  that  Hawaii?  I  think  no  savvy  nothing  — 
all-e-same  Wise-a-mana." 

It  was  the  first  time  the  name  of  the  late  captain 
had  been  mentioned,  and  Herrick  grasped  the 
occasion.   The  reader  shall  be  spared  Uncle  Ned's 


THE   CARGO   OF   CHAMPAGNE.  79 

unwieldy  dialect,  and  learn,  in  less  embarrassing 
English,  the  sum  of  what  he  now  communicated. 
The  ship  had  scarce  cleared  the  Golden  Gate  be- 
fore the  captain  and  mate  had  entered  on  a  career 
of  drunkenness,  which  was  scarcely  interrupted  by 
their  malady,  and  only  closed  by  death.  For  days 
and  weeks  they  had  encountered  neither  land  nor 
ship ;  and,  seeing  themselves  lost  on  the  huge  deep 
with  their  insane  conductors,  the  natives  had  drunk 
deep  of  terror. 

At  length  they  made  a  low  island,  and  went 
in  ;  and  Wiseman  and  Wishart  landed  in  the  boat. 
There  was  a  great  village,  a  very  fine  village, 
and  plenty  Kanakas  in  that  place,  but  all  mighty 
serious ;  and,  from  every  here  and  there  in  the 
back  parts  of  the  settlement,  Taveeta  heard  the 
sounds  of  island  lamentation.  "  I  no  savvy  talk 
that  island,"  said  he.  "  I  savvy  hear  um  cly.  I 
think,  Hum !  too  many  people  die  here ! "  But 
upon  Wiseman  and  Wishart  the  significance  of 
that  barbaric  keening  was  lost.  Full  of  bread  and 
drink,  they  rollicked  along,  unconcerned ;  em- 
braced the  girls,  who  had  scarce  energy  to  repel 
them  ;  took  up  and  joined  (with  drunken  voices)  in 
the  death  wail ;  and  at  last  (on  what  they  took  to 
be  an  invitation)  entered  under  the  roof  of  a  house 
in  which  was  a  considerable  concourse  of  people 
sitting  silent.  They  stooped  below  the  eaves, 
flushed  and  laughing ;  within  a  minute  they  came 
forth  again  with  changed  faces  and  silenced 
tongues ;  and,  as  the  press  severed  to  make  way  for 


8o  THE   EBB   TIDE. 

them,  Taveeta  was  able  to  perceive,  in  the  deep 
shadow  of  the  house,  the  sick  man  raising  from  his 
mat  a  head  already  defeatured  by  disease.  The 
two  tragic  triflers  fled,  without  hesitation,  for  their 
boat,  screaming  on  Taveeta  to  make  haste.  They 
came  aboard  with  all  speed  of  oars,  raised  anchor, 
and  crowded  sail  upon  the  ship  with  blows  and 
curses,  and  were  at  sea  again  —  and  again  drunk 
—  before  sunset.  A  week  after,  and  the  last  of  the 
two  had  been  committed  to  the  deep.  Herrick 
asked  Taveeta  where  that  island  was,  and  he  re- 
plied that,  by  what  he  gathered  of  folks'  talk  as 
they  went  up  together  from  the  beach,  he  supposed 
it  must  be  one  of  the  Paumotus.  This  was  in  it- 
self probable  enough,  for  the  Dangerous  Archi- 
pelago had  been  swept  that  year  from  east  to  west 
by  devastating  small-pox ;  but  Herrick  thought  it 
a  strange  course  to  lie  for  Sydney.  Then  he  re- 
membered the  drink. 

"  Were  they  not  surprised  when  they  made  the 
island  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  Wise-a-mana  he  say, '  Dam  !  what  this  ? '  "  was 
the  reply. 

"  Oh,  that 's  it,  then,"  said  Herrick.  "  I  don't 
believe  they  knew  where  they  were." 

"  I  tink  so,  too,"  said  Uncle  Ned.  "  I  tink  no 
savvy.  This  one  mo'  betta,"  he  added,  pointing 
to  the  house  where  the  drunken  captain  slumbered. 
"  Take-a-sun  all-e-same." 

The  implied  last  touch  completed  Herrick's  pic- 
ture of  the  life  and  death  of  his  two  predecessors ; 


THE  CARGO  OF   CHAMPAGNE.  8l 

of  their  prolonged,  sordid,  sodden  sensuality  as 
they  sailed,  they  knew  not  whither,  on  their  last 
cruise.  He  held  but  a  twinkling  and  unsure  belief 
in  any  future  state  ;  the  thought  of  one  of  punish- 
ment, he  derided ;  yet  for  him  (as  for  all)  there  dwelt 
a  horror  about  the  end  of  the  brutish  man.  Sickness 
fell  upon  him  at  the  image  thus  called  up;  and 
when  he  compared  it  with  the  scene  in  which  him- 
self was  acting,  and  considered  the  doom  that 
seemed  to  brood  upon  the  schooner,  a  horror  that 
was  almost  superstitious  fell  upon  him.  And  yet 
the  strange  thing  was,  he  did  not  falter.  He  who 
had  proved  his  incapacity  in  so  many  fields,  being 
now  falsely  placed  amid  duties  which  he  did  not 
understand,  without  help,  and,  it  might  be  said, 
without  countenance,  had  hitherto  surpassed  ex- 
pectation ;  and  even  the  shameful  misconduct  and 
shocking  disclosures  of  that  night  served  but  to 
nerve  and  strengthen  him.  He  had  sold  his  honor; 
he  vowed  it  should  not  be  in  vain.  "It  shall  be  no 
fault  of  mine  if  this  miscarry,"  he  repeated.  And 
in  his  heart  he  wondered  at  himself.  Living  rage, 
no  doubt,  supported  him  ;  no  doubt,  also,  the  sense 
of  the  last  cast,  of  the  ships  burned,  of  all  doors 
closed  but  one,  which  is  so  strong  a  tonic  to  the 
merely  weak,  and  so  deadly  a  depressant  to  the 
merely  cowardly. 

For  some  time  the  voyage  went  otherwise  well. 

They  weathered  Fakarava  with  one  board ;  and, 

the  wind   holding    well    to    the    southward   and 

blowing  fresh,  they  passed  between  Kanaka  and 

6 


82  THE  EBB  TIDE. 

Ratiu,  and  ran  some  days,  northeast  by  east  half 
east,  under  the  lee  of  Takume  and  Honden,  neither 
of  which  they  made.  In  about  fourteen  south 
and  between  one  hundred  and  thirty-four  and 
one  hundred  and  thirty-five  west,  it  fell  a  dead 
calm,  with  rather  a  heavy  sea.  The  captain  re- 
fused to  take  in  sail;  the  helm  was  lashed,  no 
watch  was  set,  and  the  *  Farallone '  rolled  and 
banged  for  three  days,  according  to  observation,  in 
almost  the  same  place.  The  fourth  morning,  a 
little  before  day,  a  breeze  sprang  up  and  rapidly 
freshened.  The  captain  had  drunk  hard  the  night 
before ;  he  was  far  from  sober  when  he  was  roused ; 
and  when  he  came  on  deck  for  the  first  time,  at 
half  past  eight,  it  was  plain  he  had*  already  drunk 
deep  again  at  breakfast.  Herrick  avoided  his  eye, 
and  resigned  the  deck,  with  indignation,  to  a  man 
more  than  half  seas  over.  By  the  loi^d  commands 
of  the  captain  and  the  singing  out  of  fellows  at  the 
ropes,  he  could  judge  from  the  house  that  sail  was 
being  crowded  on  the  ship ;  relinquished  his  half- 
eaten  breakfast,  and  came  on  deck  again,  to  find 
the  main  and  the  jib  topsails  set,  and  both  watches 
and  the  cook  turned  out  to  hand  the  stay-sail.  The 

*  Farallone  '  lay  already  far  over ;  the  sky  was  ob- 
scured with  misty  scud ;  and  from  the  windward 
an  ominous  squall  came  flying  up,  broadening  and 
blackening  as  it  rose. 

Fear  thrilled  in  Herrick's  vitals.     He  saw  death 
hard  by,  and,  if  not  death,  sure  ruin ;  for  if  the 

*  Farallone '  lived  through  the  coming  squall,  she 


THE   CARGO   OF   CHAMPAGNE.  83 

must  surely  be  dismasted.  With  that,  their  enter- 
prise was  at  an  end,  and  they  themselves  bound 
prisoners  to  the  very  evidence  of  their  crime.  The 
greatness  of  the  peril  and  his  own  alarm  sufficed  to 
silence  him.  Pride,  wrath,  and  shame  raged  with- 
out issue  in  his  mind,  and  he  shut  his  teeth  and 
folded  his  arms  close. 

The  captain  sat  in  the  boat  to  windward,  bellow- 
ing orders  and  insults,  his  eyes  glazed,  his  face 
deeply  congested,  a  bottle  set  between  his  knees, 
a  glass  in  his  hand,  half  empty.  His  back  was  to 
the  squall,  and  he  was  at  first  intent  upon  the  set- 
ting of  the  sail.  When  that  was  done,  and  the 
great  trapeziurri  of  canvas  had  begun  to  draw  and 
to  trail  the  lee-rail  of  the  *  Farallone '  level  with 
the  foam,  he  laughed  out  an  empty  laugh,  drained 
his  glass,  sprawled  back  among  the  lumber  in  the 
boat,  and  fetched  out  a  crumpled  novel. 

Herrick  watched  him,  and  his  indignation  glowed 
red-hot.  He  glanced  to  windward,  where  the  squall 
already  whitened  the  near  sea,  and  already  heralded 
its  coming  with  a  singular  and  dismal  sound.  He 
glanced  at  the  steersman,  and  saw  him  clinging  to 
the  spokes  wi.th  a  face  of  a  sickly  blue.  He  saw 
the  crew  were  running  to  their  stations  without 
orders,  and  it  seemed  as  if  something  broke  in  his 
brain ;  and  the  passion  of  anger,  so  long  restrained, 
so  long  eaten  in  secret,  burst  suddenly  loose,  and 
filled  and  shook  him  like  a  sail.  He  stepped  across 
to  the  captain,  and  smote  his  hand  heavily  on  the 
drunkard's  shoulder. 


84  THE   EBB   TIDE. 

"  You  brute,"  he  said,  in  a  voice  that  tottered, 
"  look  behind  you  !  " 

*'  Wha  's  that  ?  "  cried  Davis,  bounding  in  the 
boat  and  upsetting  the  champagne. 

"  You  lost  the  '  Sea  Ranger  '  because  you  were  a 
drunken  sot,"  said  Herrick.  "  Now  you  're  going 
to  lose  the  *  Farallone.'  You  're  going  to  drown 
here  the  same  way  as  you  drowned  others,  and  be 
damned.  And  your  daughter  shall  walk  the  streets, 
and  your  sons  be  thieves  like  their  father." 

For  the  moment,  the  words  struck  the  captain 
white  and  foolish.  "  My  God  !  "  he  cried,  looking 
at  Herrick  as  upon  a  ghost ;  "my  God,  Herrick  !  " 

"  Look  behind  you,  then  !  "  reiterated  the  as- 
sailant. 

The  wretched  man,  already  partly  sobered,  did 
as  he  was  told,  and  in  the  same  breath  of  time 
leaped  to  his  feet.  "  Down  staysail !  "  he  trum- 
peted. The  hands  were  thrilling  for  the  order,  and 
the  great  sail  came  with  a  run,  and  fell  half  over- 
board among  the  racing  foam.  "  Jib  topsail  hal- 
yards !     Let  the  stays'l  be,"  he  said  again. 

But  before  it  was  well  uttered,  the  squall  shouted 
aloud  and  fell,  in  a  solid  mass  of  wind  and  rain 
commingled,  on  the  '  Farallone,'  and  she  stooped 
under  the  blow,  and  lay  like  a  thing  dead.  From 
the  mind  of  Herrick  reason  fled ;  he  clung  in  the 
weather  rigging,  exulting ;  he  was  done  with  life, 
and  he  gloried  in  the  release ;  he  gloried  in  the 
wild  noises  of  the  wind  and  the  choking  onslaught 
of  the  rain ;  he  gloried  to  die  so,  and  now,  amid 


THE   CARGO   OF  CHAMPAGNE.  8S 

this  coil  of  the  elements.  And  meanwhile,  in 
the  waist,  up  to  his  knees  in  water,  —  so  low  the 
schooner  lay,  —  the  captain  was  hacking  at  the 
foresheet  with  a  pocket-knife.  It  was  a  question 
of  seconds,  for  the  *  Farallone  '  drank  deep  of  the 
encroaching  seas.  But  the  hand  of  the  captain 
had  the  advance.  The  foresail  boom  tore  apart 
the  last  strands  of  the  sheet,  and  crashed  to  lee- 
ward ;  the  '  Farallone '  leaped  up  into  the  wind 
and  righted ;  and  the  peak  and  throat  halyards, 
which  had  long  been  let  go,  began  to  run  at  the 
same  instant. 

For  some  ten  minutes  more  she  careered  under 
the  impulse  of  the  squall ;  but  the  captain  was  now 
master  of  himself  and  of  his  ship,  and  all  danger  at 
an  end.  And  then,  sudden  as  a  trick-change  upon 
the  stage,  the  squall  blew  by,  the  wind  dropped 
into  light  airs,  the  sun  beamed  forth  again  upon 
the  tattered  schooner ;  and  the  captain,  having  se- 
cured the  foresail  boom,  and  set  a  couple  of  hands 
to  the  pump,  walked  aft,  sober,  a  little  pale,  and  with 
the  sodden  end  of  a  cigar  still  stuck  between  his 
teeth,  even  as  the  squall  had  found  it.  Herrick 
followed  him.  He  could  scarce  recall  the  violence 
of  his  late  emotions,  but  he  felt  there  was  a  scene 
to  go  through,  and  he  was  anxious  and  even  eager 
to  go  through  with  it. 

The  captain,  turning  at  the  house  end,  met  him 
face  to  face,  and  averted  his  eyes.  "  We  've  lost  the 
two  tops'ls  and  the  stays'l,"  he  gabbled.  "  Good 
business  we  didn't  lose  any  sticks.  I  guess  you 
think  we  're  all  the  better  without  the  kites." 


86  THE   EBB    TIDE. 

"  That 's  not  what  I  'm  thinking,"  said  Herrick, 
in  a  voice  strangely  quiet,  that  yet  echoed  con- 
fusion in  the  captain's  mind. 

"  I  know  that,"  he  cried,  holding  up  his  hand. 
"  I  know  what  you  're  thinking.  No  use  to  say  it 
now.     I  'm  sober." 

"  I  have  to  say  it,  though,"  returned  Herrick. 

"  Hold  on,  Herrick ;  you  've  said  enough,"  said 
Davis.  "  You  've  said  what  I  would  take  from  no 
man  breathing  but  yourself ;  only  I  know  it 's  true." 

"  I  have  to  tell  you.  Captain  Brown,"  pursued 
Herrick,  ''  that  I  resign  my  position  as  mate.  You 
can  put  me  in  irons  or  shoot  me,  as  you  please.  I 
will  make  no  resistance  ;  only  I  decline  in  any  way 
to  help  or  to  obey  you  ;  and  I  suggest  you  should 
put  Mr.  Huish  in  my  place.  He  will  make  a  worthy 
first  officer  to  your  captain,  sir."  He  smiled,  bowed, 
and  turned  to  walk  forward. 

"  Where  are  you  going,  Herrick  ?  "  cried  the 
captain,  detaining  him  by  the  shoulder. 

"  To  berth  forward  with  the  men,  sir,"  replied 
Herrick,  with  the  same  hateful  smile.  "  I  've  been 
long  enough  aft  here  with  you  —  gentlemen." 

"  You  're  wrong  there,"  said  Davis.  "  Don't  you 
be  too  quick  with  me ;  there  ain't  nothing  wrong 
but  the  drink  —  it's  the  old  story,  man!  Let  me 
get  sober  once,  and  then  you  '11  see,"  he  pleaded. 

"  Excuse  me,  I  desire  to  see  no  more  of  you," 
said  Herrick. 

The  captain  groaned  aloud.  "  You  know  what 
you  said  about  my  children  ? "  he  broke  out 


THE   CARGO   OF   CHAMPAGNE.  ?>7 

"  By  rote.  In  case  you  wish  me  to  say  it  to  you 
again  ?  "  asked  Herrick. 

"  Don't !  "  cried  the  captain,  clapping  his  hands 
to  his  ears.  "Don't  make  me  kill  a  man  I  care 
for !  Herrick,  if  you  see  me  put  a  glass  to  my  lips 
again  till  we  're  ashore,  I  give  you  leave  to  put  a 
bullet  through  me.  I  beg  you  to  do  it !  You  're  the 
only  man  aboard  whose  carcass  is  worth  losing. 
Do  you  think  I  don't  know  that  ?  Do  you  think  I 
ever  went  back  on  you  ?  I  always  knew  that  you 
were  in  the  right  of  it ;  drunk  or  sober,  I  knew 
that.  What  do  you  want  ?  An  oath  ?  Man, 
you're  clever  enough  to  see  that  this  is  sure- 
enough  earnest," 

"  Do  you  mean  there  shall  be  no  more  drink- 
ing," asked  Herrick  ;  "  neither  by  you  nor  Huish  ? 
That  you  won't  go  on  stealing  my  profits  and  drink- 
ing my  champagne,  that  I  gave  my  honor  for  1  And 
that  you'll  attend  to  your  duties,  and  stand  watch 
and  watch,  and  bear  your  proper  share  of  the  ship's 
work,  instead  of  leaving  it  all  on  the  shoulders  of  a 
landsman,  and  making  yourself  the  butt  and  scoff 
of  native  seamen  ?  Is  that  what  you  mean  ?  If  it 
is,  be  so  good  as  to  say  it  categorically." 

"  You  put  these  things  in  a  way  hard  for  a  gentle- 
man to  swallow,"  said  the  captain.  "  You  would  n't 
have  me  say  I  was  ashamed  of  myself  ?  Trust  me 
this  once  !  I  '11  do  the  square  thing ;  and  there  's 
my  hand  on  it." 

"  Well,  I  '11  try  it  once,"  said  Herrick.  "  Fail 
me  again  —  " 


88  THE   EBB   TIDE. 

"No  more  now  !  "  interrupted  Davis.  "  No 
more,  old  man  !  Enough  said.  You  've  a  riling 
tongue  when  your  back  's  up,  Herrick.  Just  be 
glad  we  're  friends  again,  the  same  as  what  I  am, 
and  go  tender  on  the  raws.  I  '11  see  as  you  don't 
repent  it.  We  've  been  mighty  near  death  this 
day,  —  don't  say  whose  fault  it  was  !  —  pretty  near 
hell  too,  I  guess.  We  're  in  a  mighty  bad  line  of 
life,  us  two,  and  ought  to  go  easy  with  each 
other." 

He  was  maundering ;  yet  it  seemed  as  if  he  were 
maundering  with  some  design,  beating  about  the 
bush  of  some  communication  that  he  feared  to 
make,  or  perhaps  only  talking  against  time,  in 
terror  of  what  Herrick  might  say  next.  But  Her- 
rick had  now  spat  his  venom.  His  was  a  kindly 
nature,  and,  content  with  his  triumph,  he  had  now 
begun  to  pity.  With  a  few  soothing  words  he 
sought  to  conclude  the  interview,  and  proposed 
that  they  should  change  their  clothes. 

"  Not  right  yet,"  said  Davis.  "  There 's  another 
thing  I  want  to  tell  you  first.  You  know  what  you 
said  about  my  children  ?  I  want  to  tell  you]  why 
it  hit  me  so  hard ;  I  kind  of  think  you  '11  feel  bad 
about  it  too.  It 's  about  my  little  Adar.  You 
had  n't  ought  to  have  quite  said  that  —  but  of 
course  I  know  you  did  n't  know.  She  —  she 's 
dead,  you  see." 

"  Why,  Davis !  "  cried  Herrick.  "  You  've  told 
me  a  dozen  times  she  was  alive  !  Clear  your  head, 
man!    This  must  be  the  drink." 


THE   CARGO   OF   CHAMPAGNE.  89 

"  No,  j-Zr,"  said  Davis.  "  She 's  dead,  right 
enough.  Died  of  a  bowel  complaint.  That  was 
when  I  was  away  in  the  brig  '  Oregon.'  She  lies 
in  Portland,  Maine.  *Adar,  only  daughter  of 
Captain  John  Davis  and  Mariar  his  wife,  aged 
five.'  I  had  a  doll  for  her  on  board.  I  never 
took  the  paper  off  'n  that  doll,  Herrick ;  it  went 
down  the  way  it  was,  with  the  *  Sea  Ranger,'  that 
day  I  was  damned." 

The  captain's  eyes  were  fixed  on  the  horizon ; 
he  talked  with  an  extraordinary  softness,  but  a 
complete  composure;  and  Herrick  looked  upon 
him  with  something  that  was  almost  terror. 

"  Don't  think  I  'm  crazy,  neither,"  resumed 
Davis.  "  I  've  all  the  cold  sense  that  I  know 
what  to  do  with.  But  I  guess  a  man  that 's  un- 
happy 's  like  a  child  ;  and  this  is  a  kind  of  a  child's 
game  of  mine.  I  never  could  act  up  to  the  plain- 
out  truth,  you  see.  So  I  pretend.  And  I  warn  you 
square  :  as  soon  as  we  're  through  with  this  talk, 
I  '11  start  in  again  with  the  pretending.  Only,  you 
see,  she  can't  walk  no  streets,"  added  the  captain ; 
"couldn't  even  make  out  to  live  and  get  that 
doll !  " 

Herrick  laid  a  tremulous  hand  upon  the  captain's 
shoulder. 

"  Don't  do  that !  "  cried  Davis,  recoiling  from 
the  touch.  "  Can't  you  see  I  'm  all  broken  up  the 
way  it  is  ?  Come  along,  then ;  come  along,  old 
man.  You  can  put  your  trust  in  me  right  through. 
Come  along  and  get  dry  clothes." 


90 


THE   EBB   TIDE. 


They  entered  the  cabin,  and  there  was  Huish  on 
his  knees,  prizing  open  a  case  of  champagne. 

"  'Vast,  there  ! "  cried  the  captain.  "  No  more 
of  that.     No  more  drinking  on  this  ship." 

"  Turned  teetotal,  'ave  you  ?  "  inquired  Huish. 
"  I  'm  agreeable.  About  time,  eh  ?  Bloomin* 
nearly  lost  another  ship,  I  fancy."  He  took  out  a 
bottle,  and  began  calmly  to  burst  the  wire  with 
the  spike  of  a  corkscrew. 

"  Do  you  hear  me  speak  ?  "  cried  Davis. 

"  I  suppose  I  do.  You  speak  loud  enough," 
said  Huish.     "The  trouble  is  that  I  don't  care." 

Herrick  plucked  the  captain's  sleeve.  "  Let 
him  be  now,"  said  he ;  "  we  've  had  all  we  want 
this  evening." 

"  Let  him  have  it,  then,"  said  the  captain.  "  It 's 
his  last." 

By  this  time  the  wire  was  open,  the  string  was 
cut,  the  head  of  gilded  paper  was  torn  away,  and 
Huish  waited,  mug  in  hand,  expecting  the  usual 
explosion.  It  did  not  follow.  He  eased  the  cork 
with  his  thumb ;  still  there  was  no  result.  At  last 
he  took  the  screw  and  drew  it.  It  came  out  very 
easy  and  with  scarce  a  sound. 

"  'Illo  !  "  said  Huish,  "  'ere 's  a  bad  bottle." 

He  poured  some  of  the  wine  into  the  mug;  it 
was  colorless  and  still.     He  smelt  and  tasted  it. 

"  W'y,  wot 's  this  ?  "  he  said.     "  It 's  water ! " 

If  the  voice  of  trumpets  had  suddenly  sounded 
about  the  ship  in  the  midst  of  the  sea,  the  three 
men  in  the  house  could  scarce  have  been  more 


THE   CARGO   OF   CHAMPAGNE.  9I 

Stunned  than  by  this  incident.  The  mug  passed 
round ;  each  sipped,  each  smelt  of  it ;  each  stared 
at  the  bottle,  in  its  glory  of  gold  paper,  as  Crusoe 
may  have  stared  at  the  footprint ;  and  their  minds 
were  swift  to  fix  upon  a  common  apprehension. 
The  difference  between  a  bottle  of  champagne 
and  a  bottle  of  water  is  not  great ;  between  a  ship- 
load of  one  or  of  the  other  lay  the  whole  scale 
from  riches  to  ruin. 

A  second  bottle  was  broached.  There  were  two 
cases  standing  ready  in  a  stateroom.  These  two 
were  brought  out,  broken  open  and  tested;  still 
with  the  same  result :  the  contents  were  still  color- 
less and  tasteless,  and  dead  as  the  rain  in  a 
beached  fishing-boat. 

"  Crikey !  "  said  Huish. 

"  Here,  let 's  sample  the  hold  !  "  said  the  captain, 
mopping  his  brow  with  a  back-handed  sweep ;  and 
the  three  stalked  out  of  the  house,  grim  and  heavy- 
footed. 

All  hands  were  turned  out :  two  Kanakas  were 
sent  below,  another  stationed  at  a  purchase,  and 
Davis,  axe  in  hand,  took  his  place  beside  the 
coaming. 

"  Are  you  going  to  let  the  men  know  ?  "  whispered 
Herrick, 

"  Damn  the  men  !  "  said  Davis.  "  It 's  beyond 
that.     We've  got  to  know  ourselves." 

Three  cases  were  sent  on  deck  and  sampled  in 
turn ;  from  each  bottle,  as  the  captain  smashed  it 
with  the  axe,  the  champagne  ran  bubbling  and 
creaming. 


92  THE   EBB   TIDE. 

"  Go  deeper,  can't  you  ? "  cried  Davis  to  the 
Kanakas  in  the  hold. 

The  command  gave  the  signal  for  a  disastrous 
change.  Case  after  case  came  up,  bottle  after 
bottle  was  burst,  and  bled  mere  water.  Deeper 
yet,  and  they  came  upon  a  layer  where  there  was 
scarcely  so  much  as  the  intention  to  deceive, — 
where  the  cases  were  no  longer  branded,  the 
bottles  no  longer  wired  or  papered ;  where  the 
fraud  was  manifest,  and  stared  them  in  the  face. 

"  Here 's  about  enough  of  this  foolery !  "  said 
Davis.  "  Stow  back  the  cases  in  the  hold. 
Uncle,  and  get  the  broken  crockery  overboard. 
Come  with  me,"  he  added  to  his  co-adventurers, 
and  led  the  way  back  into  the  cabin. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

THE   PARTNERS. 

JlLaCH  took  a  side  of  the  fixed  table.  It  was 
the  first  time  they  had  sat  down  at  it  together ; 
but  now  all  sense  of  incongruity,  all  memory  of 
differences,  was  quite  swept  away  by  the  presence 
of  common  ruin. 

"  Gentlemen,"  said  the  captain,  after  a  pause, 
and  with  very  much  the  air  of  a  chairman  opening 
a  board-meeting,  "  we  're  sold." 

Huish  broke  out  in  laughter.  "Well,  if  this 
ain't  the  'ighest  old  rig  !  "  he  cried.  "  And  Davis 
'ere,  who  thought  he  had  got  up  so  bloomin'  early 
in  the  mornin' !  We  've  stolen  a  cargo  of  spring 
water  !  Oh,  my  crikey  !  "  and  he  squirmed  with 
mirth. 

The  captain'  managed  to  screw  out  a  phantom 
smile. 

"  Here  's  Old  Man  Destiny  again,"  said  he  to 
Herrick ;  "  but  this  time  I  guess  he  's  kicked  the 
door  right  in." 

Herrick  only  shook  his  head. 

"Oh,  Lord,  it's  rich!"  laughed  Huish.  "It 
would  really  be  a  scrumptious  lark  if  it  'ad  'ap- 
pened  to  somebody  else.    And  wot  are  we  to  do 


94  THE   EBB   TIDE. 

next  ?  Oh,  my  eye  !  with  this  bloomin'  schooner, 
too." 

"That's  the  trouble,"  said  Davis.  "There's 
only  one  thing  certain :  it 's  no  use  carting  this  old 
glass  and  ballast  to  Peru.  No,  sir,  we're  in  a 
hole." 

"  Oh,  my  !  and  the  merchant !  "  cried  Huish ; 
"  the  man  that  made  this  shipment !  He  '11  get  the 
news  by  the  mail  brigantine,  and  he'll  think  of 
course  we  're  making  straight  for  Sydney." 

"  Yes,  he  '11  be  a  sick  merchant,"  said  the 
captain.  "  One  thing :  this  explains  the  Kanaka 
crew.  If  you  're  going  to  lose  a  ship,  I  would  ask 
no  better  myself  than  a  Kanaka  crew.  But  there 's 
one  thing  it  don't  explain ;  it  don't  explain  why 
she  came  down  Tahiti  ways." 

"  W'y,  to  lose  her,  you  byby !  "  said  Huish. 

"  A  lot  you  know,"  said  the  captain.  "  Nobody 
wants  to  lose  a  schooner ;  they  want  to  lose  her  on 
her  course^  you  skeesicks  !  You  seem  to  think  un- 
derwriters have  n't  got  enough  sense  to  come  in  out 
of  the  rain.'* 

"  Well,"  said  Herrick,  "  I  can  tell  you,  I  am 
afraid,  why  she  came  so  far  to  the  eastward.  I 
had  it  of  Uncle  Ned.  It  seems  these4wo  unhappy 
devils,  Wiseman  and  Wishart,  were  drunk  on  the 
champagne  from  the  beginning,  and  died  drunk  at 
the  end." 

The  captain  looked  on  the  table. 

"  They  lay  in  their  two  bunks,  or  sat  here  in  this 
damned  house,"  he  pursued,  with  rising  agitation. 


THE   PARTNERS.  95 

"  filling  their  skins  with  the  accursed  stuff,  till  sick- 
ness took  them.  As  they  sickened,  and  the  fever 
rose,  they  drank  the  more.  They  lay  here  howl- 
ing and  groaning,  drunk  and  dying,  all  in  one. 
They  didn't  know  where  they  were;  they  didn't 
care.     They  did  n't  even  take  the  sun,  it  seems." 

"  Not  take  the  sun !  "  cried  the  captain,  looking 
up.     "  Sacred  Billy  !  what  a  crowd  !  " 

"  Well,  it  don't  matter  to  Joe !  "  said  Huish. 
"  Wot  are  Wiseman  and  the  t'  other  buffer  to  us  ?  " 

"  A  good  deal,  too,"  said  the  captain.  "  We  're 
their  heirs,  I  guess." 

"  It  is  a  great  inheritance,"  said  Herrick. 

"  Well,  I  don't  know  about  that,"  returned  Davis. 
"Appears  to  me  as  if  it  might  be  worse.  'T  ain't 
what  the  cargo  would  have  been,  of  course;  at 
least,  not  money  down.  But  I  '11  tell  you  what  it 
appears  to  figure  up  to.  Appears  to  me  as  if  it 
amounted  to  about  the  bottom  dollar  of  the  man 
in  'Frisco." 

"  'Old  on,"  said  Huish.  "  Give  a  fellow  time. 
'Ow's  this,  umpire?" 

"Well,  my  sons,"  pursued  the  captain,  who 
seemed  to  have  recovered  his_  assurance,  "  Wise- 
man and  Wishart  were  to  be  paid  for  casting  away 
this  old  schooner  and  its  cargo.  We  're  going  to 
cast  away  the  schooner  right  enough,  and  I  '11 
make  it  my  private  business  to  see  that  we  get 
paid.  What  were  W.  and  W.  to  get?  That's 
more  'n  I  can  tell.  But  W.  and  W.  went  into  this 
business  themselves ;  they  were  on  the  crook.    Now 


g6  THE  EBB   TIDE. 

weVe  on  the  square;  we  only  stumbled  into  it; 
and  that  merchant  has  just  got  to  squeal,  and  I  'm 
the  man  to  see  that  he  squeals  good.  No,  sir/ 
there  's  some  stuffing  to  this  '  Farallone '  racket, 
after  all." 

"Go  it.  Cap!"  cried  Huish.  "Yoicks!  For- 
rard !  'Old  'ard !  There  's  your  style  for  the 
money!  Blow  me  if  I  don't  prefer  this  to  the 
hother." 

"  I  do  not  understand,"  said  Herrick.  "  I  have 
to  ask  you  to  excuse  me ;  I  do  not  understand.'* 

"Well,  now,  see  here,  Herrick,"  said  Davis. 
"  I  'm  going  to  have  a  word  with  you,  any  way, 
upon  a  different  matter,  and  it 's  good  that  Huish 
should  hear  it  too.  We  're  done  with  this  boozing 
business,  and  we  ask  your  pardon  for  it  right  here 
and  now.  We  have  to  thank  you  for  all  you  did 
for  us  while  we  were  making  hogs  of  ourselves. 
You  '11  find  me  turn  to  all  right  in  future ;  and  as 
for  the  wine,  which  I  grant  we  stole  from  you,  I  '11 
take  stock  and  see  you  paid  for  it.  That 's  good 
enough,  I  believe.  But  what  I  want  to  point  out 
to  you  is  this.  The  old  game  was  a  risky  game. 
The  new  game's  as  safe  as  running  a  Vienna 
bakery.  We  just  put  this  *  Farallone  '  before  the 
wind,  and  run  till  we  're  well  to  leeward  of  our 
port  of  departure,  and  reasonably  well  up  with 
some  other  place  where  they  have  an  American 
consul.  Down  goes  the  'Farallone,'  and  good-by 
to  her !  A  day  or  so  in  the  boat ;  the  consul  packs 
us  home,  at  Uncle  Sam's  expense,  to  'Frisco ;  and 


THE   PARTNERS.  97 

If  that  merchant  don't  put  the  dollars  down,  you 
come  to  me  !  " 

"But  I  thought  — "  began  Herrick;  and  then 
broke  out,  "  Oh,  let 's  get  on  to  Peru  !  " 

"  Well,  if  you  're  going  to  Peru  for  your  health, 
I  won't  say  no,"  replied  the  captain.  "  But  for 
what  other  blame'  shadow  of  a  reason  you  should 
want  to  go  there,  gets  me  clear.  We  don't  want 
to  go  there  with  this  cargo.  I  don't  know  as  old 
bottles  is  a  lively  article  anywheres ;  leastways  I  '11 
go  my  bottom  cent  it  ain't  in  Peru.  It  was  always 
a  doubt  if  we  could  sell  the  schooner;  I  never 
rightly  hoped  to,  and  now  I  'm  sure  she  ain't  worth 
a  hill  of  beans.  What 's  wrong  with  her,  I  don't 
know.  I  only  know  it 's  something,  or  she  would  n't 
be  here  with  this  truck  in  her  inside.  Then,  again, 
if  we  lose  her,  and  land  in  Peru,  where  are  we? 
We  can't  declare  the  loss,  or  how  did  we  get  to 
Peru  ?  In  that  case  the  merchant  can't  touch  the 
insurance ;  most  likely  he  '11  go  bust ;  and  don't 
you  think  you  see  the  three  of  us  on  the  beach 
of  Callao?" 

"  There  's  no  extradition  there,"  said  Herrick. 

"  Well,  my  son,  and  we  want  to  be  extradished," 
said  the  captain.  "  What 's  our  point  ?  We  want 
to  have  a  consul  extradish  us  as  far  as  San  Fran- 
cisco and  that  merchant's  office  door.  My  idea  is 
that  Samoa  would  be  found  an  eligible  business 
centre.  It's  dead  before  the  wind;  the  States 
have  a  consul  there,  and  'Frisco  steamers  call, 
so's  we  could  skip  right  back  and  interview  the 
merchant." 

7 


98  THE   EBB   TIDE. 

"Samoa?"  said  Herrick.  "It  will  take  us  for- 
ever to  get  there." 

"  Oh,  with  a  fair  wind !  "  said  the  captain. 

"  No  trouble  about  the  log,  eh  ? "  asked  Huish. 

"  No,  sir,''  said  Davis.  "  Light  airs  and  baffling 
winds.  Squalls  and  calms.  D.  R.  :  five  miles. 
No  obs.  Pumps  attended.  And  fill  in  the  barom- 
eter and  thermometer  off  of  last  year's  trip.  '  Never 
saw  such  a  voyage,'  says  you  to  the  consul. 
'Thought  I  was  going  to  run  short  — '"  He 
stopped  in  mid-career.  "Say,"  he  began  again, 
and  once  more  stopped.  "  Beg  your  pardon,  Her- 
rick," he  added,  with  undisguised  humihty,  "  but 
did  you  keep  the  run  of  the  stores?" 

"Had  I  been  told  to  do  so,  it  should  have  been 
done,  as  the  rest  was  done,  to  the  best  of  my  little 
ability,"  said  Herrick.  "  As  it  was,  the  cook  helped 
himself  to  what  he  pleased." 

Davis  looked  at  the  table. 

"  I  drew  it  rather  fine,  you  see,"  he  said  at  last. 
"  The  great  thing  was  to  clear  right  out  of  Papeete 
before  the  consul  could  think  better  of  it.  Tell  you 
what,  —  I  guess  I  '11  take  stock." 

And  he  rose  from  the  table,  and  disappeared  with 
a  lamp  in  the  lazaretto. 

"  'Ere 's  another  screw  loose,"  observed  Huish. 

"  My  man,"  said  Herrick,  with  a  sudden  gleam 
of  animosity,  "  it  is  still  your  watch  on  deck,  and 
surely  your  wheel  also  ?  " 

"  You  come  the  'eavy  swell,  don't  you,  ducky  ?  " 
said  Huish.  "  Stand  away  from  that  binnacle. 
*  Surely  your  w'eel,  my  man.*    Yah  ! " 


THE   PARTNERS.  99 

He  lit  a  cigar  ostentatiously,  and  strolled  into  the 
waist  with  his  hands  in  his  pockets. 

In  a  surprisingly  short  time  the  captain  reap- 
peared ;  he  did  not  look  at  Herrick,  but  called 
Huish  back  and  sat  down. 

"  Well,"  he  began,  "  I  've  taken  stock  —  roughly." 
He  paused,  as  if  for  somebody  to  help  him  out ;  and, 
none  doing  so,  both  gazing  on  him  instead  with 
manifest  anxiety,  he  yet  more  heavily  resumed: 
"  Well,  it  won't  fight.  We  can't  do  it ;  that 's  the 
bed-rock.  I  'm  as  sorry  as  what  you  can  be,  and 
sorrier.  But  the  game  's  up.  We  can't  look  near 
Samoa.     I  don't  know  as  we  could  get  to  Peru." 

"  Wot-ju  mean?"  asked  Huish,  brutally. 

"  I  can't  most  tell  myself,"  repHed  the  captain. 
"I  drew  it  fine;  I  said  I  did;  but  what's  been 
going  on  here  gets  me!  Appears  as  if  the  devil 
had  been  around.  That  cook  must  be  the  holiest 
kind  of  a  fraud.  Only  twelve  days,  too !  Seems 
like  craziness.  I  '11  own  up  square  to  one  thing : 
I  seem  to  have  figured  too  fine  upon  the  flour.  But 
the  rest  —  my  land  !  I  '11  never  understand  it ! 
There  's  been  more  waste  on  this  two-penny  ship 
than  what  there  is  to  an  Atlantic  Liner."  He  stole 
a  glance  at  his  companions ;  nothing  good  was  to 
be  gleaned  from  their  dark  faces ;  and  he  had  re- 
course to  rage.  "  You  wait  until  I  interview  that 
cook ! "  he  roared,  and  smote  the  table  with  his 
fist.  "  I  '11  interview  the  son  of  a  gun  as  he  's 
never  been  spoken  to  before.  I  '11  put  a  bead 
upon  the  — !  " 


100  THE   EBB   TIDE. 

"You  will  not  lay  a  finger  on  the  man,"  said 
Herrick.  "  The  fault  is  yours,  and  you  know  it. 
If  you  turn  a  savage  loose  in  your  store-room,  you 
know  what  to  expect.  I  will  not  allow  the  man  to 
be  molested." 

It  is  hard  to  say  how  Davis  might  have  taken 
this  defiance,  but  he  was  diverted  to  a  fresh 
assailant. 

"Well!"  drawled  Huish,  "you're  a  plummy 
captain,  ain't  you  ?  You  're  a  blooming  captain  ! 
Don't  you  set  up  any  of  your  chat  to  me,  John 
Dyvis.  I  know  you  now ;  you  ain't  any  more  use 
than  a  bloomin'  dawl !  Oh,  you  '  don't  know,'  don't 
you?  Oh,  it  'gets  you,'  do  it?  Oh,  I  dessay! 
W'y,  were  n't  you  'owling  for  fresh  tins  every 
blessed  day?  'Ow  often  'ave  I  'eard  you  send 
the  'ole  bloomin*  dinner  off,  and  tell  the  man  to 
chuck  it  in  the  swill-tub?  And  breakfast?  Oh, 
my  crikey!  Breakfast  for  ten,  and  you  'ollerin' 
for  more  !  And  now  you  '  can't  most  tell ' !  Blow 
me  if  it  ain't  enough  to  make  a  man  write  an  in- 
sultin'  letter  to  Gawd !  You  dror  it  mild,  John 
Dyvis.     Don't  'andle  me ;   I  'm  dyngerous." 

Davis  sat  like  one  bemused ;  it  might  even  have 
been  doubted  if  he  heard.  But  the  voice  of  the 
clerk  rang  about  the  cabin  like  that  of  a  cormorant, 
among  the  ledges  of  a  cliff. 

"  That  will  do,  Huish,"  said  Herrick. 

"  Oh,  so  you  tyke  his  part,  do  you,  you  stuck-up, 
sneerin'  snob  ?  Tyke  it,  then.  Come  on,  the  pair 
of  you !     But  as  for  John  Dyvis,  let  him  look  out ! 


THE   PARTNERS.  lOI 

He  Struck  me  the  first  night  aboard,  and  I  never 
took  a  blow  yet  but  wot  I  gave  as  good.  Let  him 
knuckle  down  on  his  marrowbones  and  beg  my 
pardon ;  that 's  my  last  word !  " 

"  I  stand  by  the  captain,"  said  Herrick.  "  That 
makes  us  two  to  one,  both  good  men;  and  the 
crew  will  all  follow  me.  I  hope  I  shall  die  very 
soon ;  but  I  have  not  the  least  objection  to  killing 
you  before  I  go.  I  should  prefer  it  so.  I  should 
do  it  with  no  more  remorse  than  winking.  Take 
care,  take  care,  you  little  cad!" 

The  animosity  with  which  these  words  were 
uttered  was  so  marked  in  itself,  and  so  remark- 
able in  the  man  who  uttered  them,  that  Huish 
stared,  and  even  the  humiliated  Davis  reared  up 
his  head  and  gazed  at  his  defender.  As  for  Her- 
rick, the  successive  agitations  and  disappointments 
of  the  day  had  left  him  wholly  reckless ;  he  was 
conscious  of  a  pleasant  glow,  an  agreeable  ex- 
citement. His  head  seemed  empty;  his  eyeballs 
burned  as  he  turned  them ;  his  throat  was  dry  as 
a  biscuit.  The  least  dangerous  man  by  nature, 
except  in  so  far  as  the  weak  are  always  dangerous, 
at  that  moment  he  was  ready  to  slay  or  be  slain, 
with  equal  unconcern. 

Here,  at  least,  was  the  gage  thrown  down,  and 
battle  offered.  He  who  should  speak  next  would 
bring  the  matter  to  an  issue  there  and  then.  All 
knew  it  to  be  so,  and  hung  back ;  and  for  many 
seconds  by  the  cabin  clock  the  trio  sat  motionless 
and  silent. 


102  THE   EBB   TIDE. 

Then  came  an  interruption,  welcome  as  the 
flewers  in  May. 

"  Land  ho ! "  sang  out  a  voice  on  deck.  "  Land 
a  weatha  bow ! " 

"  Land ! "  cried  Davis,  springing  to  his  feet. 
"What's  this?     There  ain't  no  land  here." 

And,  as  men  may  run  from  the  chamber  of  a 
murdered  corpse,  the  three  ran  forth  out  of  the 
house,  and  left  their  quarrel  behind  them,  un- 
decided. 

The  sky  shaded  down  at  the  sea  level  to  the 
white  of  opals ;  the  sea  itself,  insolently,  inkily 
blue,  drew  'all  about  them  the  uncompromising 
wheel  of  the  horizon.  Search  it  as  they  pleased, 
not  even  the  practised  eye  of  Captain  Davis  could 
descry  the  smallest  interruption.  A  few  filmy 
clouds  were  slowly  melting  overhead;  and  about 
the  schooner,  as  around  the  only  point  of  interest, 
a  tropic  bird,  white  as  a  snowflake,  hung  and  cir- 
cled, and  displayed,  as  it  turned,  the  long  vermil- 
ion feather  of  its  tail.  Save  the  sea  and  the  heaven, 
that  was  all. 

"  Who  sang  out  land  ? "  asked  Davis.  "  If  there 's 
any  boy  playing  funny-dog  with  me,  I  '11  teach  him 
skylarking ! " 

But  Uncle  Ned  contentedly  pointed  to  a  part 
of  the  horizon  where  a  greenish,  filmy  iridescence 
could  be  discerned,  floating  like  smoke  on  the  pale 
heavens. 

Davis  applied  his  glass  to  it,  and  then  looked  at 
the  Kanaka.  "  Call  that  land  ? "  said  he.  "  Well, 
it 's  more  than  I  do  !  " 


THE   PARTNERS.  I03 

"  One  time,  long  ago,"  said  Uncle  Ned,  "  I  see 
Anaa  all-e-same  that,  four,  five  hours  bef o'  we  come 
up.  Capena  he  say  sun  go  down,  sun  go  up  again ; 
he  say  lagoon  all-e-same  milla." 

"  All-e-same 'Z£/^<2/ ,?  "  asked  Davis. 

"  Milla,  sah,"  said  Uncle  Ned. 

"Oh,  ah!  mirror,"  said  Davis.  "I  see, — reflec- 
tion from  the  lagoon.  Well,  you  know,  it  is  just 
possible,  though  it 's  strange  I  never  heard  of  it. 
Here,  let 's  look  at  the  chart." 

They  went  back  to  the  cabin,  and  found  the  posi- 
tion of  the  schooner  well  to  windward  of  the  archi- 
pelago, in  the  midst  of  a  white  field  of  paper. 

"  There,  you  see  for  yourselves  !  "  said  Davis. 

"  And  yet  I  don't  know,"  said  Herrick ;  "  I  some- 
how think  there 's  something  in  it.  I  '11  tell  you 
one  thing,  too,  captain :  that 's  all  right  about  the 
reflection ;  I  heard  it  in  Papeete." 

"  Fetch  up  that  Findlay,  then  ! "  said  Davis ; 
"I'll  try  it  all  ways.  An  island  wouldn't  come 
amiss  the  way  we're  fixed." 

The  bulky  volume  was  handed  up  to  him,  broken- 
backed,  as  is  the  way  with  Findlay ;  and  he  turned 
to  the  place,  and  began  to  run  over  the  text,  mut- 
tering to  himself,  and  turning  over  the  pages  with 
a  wetted  finger. 

"  Hullo  !  "  he  exclaimed ;  "  how 's  this  ?  "  And 
he  read  aloud:  ^^ New  Island.  According  to  M. 
Delille,  this  island,  which  from  private  interests 
would  remain  unknown,  lies,  it  is  said,  in  latitude 
12°  49'  10"  south,  longitude  133°  6'  west.     In  addi- 


104  THE    EBB   TIDE. 

tion  to  the  position  above  given,  Commander  Mat- 
thews, H.M.  S.  'Scorpion,'  states  that  an  island 
exists  in  latitude  12°  o'  south,  longitude  133°  16^ 
west.  This  must  be  the  same,  if  such  an  island 
exists,  which  is  very  doubtful,  and  totally  dis- 
beheved  in  by  South  Sea  traders." 

"  Golly  !  "  said  Huish. 

"  It 's  rather  in  the  conditional  mood,"  said 
Herrick. 

"It's  anything  you  please,"  cried  Davis,  "only 
there  it  is !  That 's  our  place,  and  don't  you  make 
any  mistake." 

"  '  Which  from  private  interests  would  remain 
unknown,' "  read  Herrick,  over  his  shoulder. 
"What  may  that  mean?" 

"It  should  mean  pearls,"  said  Davis.  "  A  pearl- 
ing island  the  government  don't  know  about.  That 
sounds  like  real  estate.  Or  suppose  it  don't  mean 
anything.  Suppose  it's  just  an  island;  I  guess  we 
could  fill  up  with  fish  and  cocoanuts  and  native 
stuff,  and  carry  out  the  Samoa  scheme  hand  over 
fist.  How  long  did  he  say  it  was  before  they 
raised  Anaa?     Five  hours,  I  think." 

"  Four  or  five,"  said  Herrick. 

Davis  stepped  to  the  door.  "What  breeze  had 
you  that  time  you  made  Anaa,  Uncle  Ned  ?  '* 
said  he. 

"  Six  or  seven  knots,"  was  the  reply. 

"  Thirty  or  thirty-five  miles,"  said  Davis.  "  High 
time  we  were  shortening  sail,  then.  If  it  is  an 
island,  we  don't  want  to  be  butting  our  head  against 


THE   PARTNERS.  I05 

it  in  the  dark;  and  if  it  isn't  an  island,  we  can 
get  through  it  just  as  well  by  daylight.  Ready 
about!"  he  roared. 

And  the  schooner's  head  was  laid  for  that  elusive 
glimmer  in  the  sky,  which  began  already  to  pale  in 
lustre  and  diminish  in  size,  as  the  stain  of  breath 
vanishes  from  a  window-pane.  At  the  same  time 
she  was  reefed  close  down. 


PART  II.  — THE   QUARTETTE. 


A, 


CHAPTER  VII. 

THE   PEARL   FISHER. 


.BOUT  four  in  the  morning,  as  the  captain  and 
Herrick  sat  together  on  the  rail,  there  arose  from 
the  midst  of  the  night,  in  front  of  them,  the  voice 
of  breakers.  Each  sprang  to  his  feet  and  stared 
and  listened.  The  sound  was  continuous,  like  the 
passing  of  a  train ;  no  rise  or  fall  could  be  dis- 
tinguished ;  minute  by  minute  the  ocean  heaved 
with  an  equal  potency  against  the  invisible  isle ; 
and  as  time  passed,  and  Herrick  waited  in  vain 
for  any  vicissitude  in  the  volume  of  that  roaring, 
a  sense  of  the  eternal  weighed  upon  his  mind.  To 
the  expert  eye,  the  isle  itself  was  to  be  inferred 
from  a  certain  string  of  blots  along  the  starry 
heaven.  And  the  schooner  was  laid  to  and  anx- 
iously observed  till  daylight. 

There  was  little  or  no  morning  bank.  A  bright- 
ening came  in  the  east ;  then  a  wash  of  some  in- 
effable, faint,  nameless  hue  between  crimson  and 


THE   PEARL   FISHER.  I07 

silver;  and  then  coals  of  fire.  These  glimmered 
awhile  on  the  sea-line,  and  seemed  to  brighten 
and  darken  and  spread  out;  and  still  the  night 
and  the  stars  reigned  undisturbed.  It  was  as 
though  a  spark  should  catch  and  glow  and  creep 
along  the  foot  of  some  heavy  and  almost  incom- 
bustible wall-hanging,  and  the  room  itself  be  scarce 
menaced.  Yet  a  little  after,  and  the  whole  east 
glowed  with  gold  and  scarlet,  and  the  hollow  of 
heaven  was  filled  with  the  daylight. 

The  isle  —  the  undiscovered,  the  scarce  believed 
in  —  now  lay  before  them  and  close  aboard ;  and 
Herrick  thought  that  never  in  his  dreams  had  he 
beheld  anything  more  strange  and  delicate.  The 
beach  was  excellently  white,  the  continuous  bar- 
rier of  trees  inimitably  green  ;  the  land  perhaps  ten 
feet  high,  the  trees  thirty  more.  Every  here  and 
there,  as  the  schooner  coasted  northward,  the  wood 
was  intermitted ;  and  he  could  see  clear  over  the 
inconsiderable  strip  of  land  (as  a  man  looks  over  a 
wall)  to  the  lagoon  within ;  and  clear  over  that, 
again,  to  where  the  far  side  of  the  atoll  prolonged 
its  pencilling  of  trees  against  the  morning  sky.  He 
tortured  himself  to  find  analogies.  The  isle  was 
like  the  rim  of  a  great  vessel  sunken  in  the  waters ; 
it  was  like  the  embankment  of  an  annular  railway 
grown  upon  with  wood.  So  slender  it  seemed 
amidst  the  outrageous  breakers,  so  frail  and  pretty, 
he  would  scarce  have  wondered  to  see  it  sink  and 
disappear  without  a  sound,  and  the  waves  close 
smoothly  over  its  descent. 


I08  THE   EBB   TIDE. 

Meanwhile  the  captain  was  in  the  fore-crosstrees, 
glass  in  hand,  his  eyes  in  every  quarter,  spying  for 
an  entrance,  spying  for  signs  of  tenancy.  But  the 
isle  continued  to  unfold  itself  in  joints  and  to  run 
out  in  indeterminate  capes,  and  still  there  was 
neither  house  nor  man  nor  the  smoke  of  fire. 
Here  a  multitude  of  sea-birds  soared  and  twinkled 
and  fished  in  the  blue  waters ;  and  there,  and  for 
miles  together,  the  fringe  of  cocoa-palm  and  pan- 
danus  extended  desolate,  and  made  desirable  green 
bowers  for  nobody  to  visit ;  and  the  silence  of  death 
was  only  broken  by  the  throbbing  of  the  sea. 

The  airs  were  very  light,  their  speed  was  small ; 
the  heat  intense.  The  decks  were  scorching  under- 
foot; the  sun  flamed  overhead,  brazen  out  of  a 
brazen  sky;  the  pitch  bubbled  in  the  seams,  and 
the  brains  in  the  brain-pan.  And  all  the  while  the 
excitement  of  the  three  adventurers  glowed  about 
their  bones  like  a  fever.  They  whispered  and  nod- 
ded and  pointed  and  put  mouth  to  ear  with  a  sin- 
gular instinct  of  secrecy,  approaching  that  island 
underhand,  like  eavesdroppers  and  thieves ;  and 
even  Davis,  from  the  crosstrees,  gave  his  orders 
mostly  by  gestures.  The  hands  shared  in  this 
mute  strain,  like  dogs,  without  comprehending  it ; 
and  through  the  roar  of  so  many  miles  of  breakers, 
it  was  a  silent  ship  that  approached  an  empty 
island. 

At  last  they  drew  near  to  the  break  in  that  in- 
terminable gangway.  A  spur  of  coral  sand  stood 
forth  on  the  one  hand ;  on  the  other,  a  high  and 


THE   PEARL   FISHER.  I09 

thick  tuft  of  trees  cut  off  the  view ;  between  was 
the  mouth  of  the  huge  laver.  Twice  a  day  the 
ocean  crowded  in  that  narrow  entrance  and  was 
heaped  between  these  frail  walls;  twice  a  day, 
with  the  return  of  the  ebb,  the  mighty  surplusage 
of  water  must  struggle  to  escape.  The  hour  in 
which  the  *  Farallone  '  came  there  was  the  hour  of 
flood.  The  sea  turned  (as  with  the  instinct  of 
the  homing  pigeon)  for  the  vast  receptacle,  swept 
eddying  through  the  gates,  was  transmuted,  as  it 
did  so,  into  a  wonder  of  watery  and  silken  hues, 
and  brimmed  into  the  inland  sea  beyond.  The 
schooner  worked  up,  close-hauled,  and  was  caught 
and  carried  away  by  the  influx  like  a  toy.  She 
skimmed ;  she  flew ;  a  momentary  shadow  touched 
her  decks  from  the  shoreside  trees  ;  the  bottom  of 
the  channel  showed  up  for  a  moment,  and  was  in  a 
moment  gone  ;  the  next,  she  floated  on  the  bosom 
of  the  lagoon;  and  below,  in  the  transparent 
chamber  of  waters,  a  myriad  of  many-colored 
fishes  were  sporting,  a  myriad  pale  flowers  of  coral 
diversified  the  floor. 

Herrick  stood  transported.  In  the  gratified  lust 
of  his  eye  he  forgot  the  past  and  the  present ;  for- 
got that  he  was  menaced  by  a  prison  on  the  one 
hand  and  starvation  on  the  other ;  forgot  that  he 
was  come  to  that  island,  desperately  foraging, 
clutching  at  expedients.  A  drove  of  fishes,  painted 
like  the  rainbow  and  billed  like  parrots,  hovered  up 
in  the  shadow  of  the  schooner,  and  passed  clear  of 
it,  and  glinted  in  the  submarine  sun.     They  were 


no  THE   EBB   TIDE. 

beautiful  like  birds,  and  their  silent  passage  im- 
pressed him  like  a  strain  of  song. 

Meanwhile,  to  the  eye  of  Davis  in  the  cross- 
trees,  the  lagoon  continued  to  expand  its  empty 
waters,  and  the  long  succession  of  the  shoreside 
trees  to  be  paid  out  like  fishing-line  off  a  reel. 
And  still  there  was  no  mark  of  habitation.  The 
schooner,  immediately  on  entering,  had  been  kept 
away  to  the  northward,  where  the  water  seemed  to 
be  the  most  deep ;  and  she  was  now  skimming 
past  the  tall  grove  of  trees,  which  stood  on  that 
side  of  the  channel  and  denied  further  view.  Of 
the  whole  of  the  low  shores  of  the  island,  only  this 
bight  remained  to  be  revealed.  And  suddenly  the 
curtain  was  raised  ;  they  began  to  open  out  a  haven, 
snugly  elbowed  there,  and  beheld,  with  an  aston- 
ishment beyond  words,  the  roofs  of  men.  The 
appearance,  thus  "instantaneously  disclosed"  to 
those  on  the  deck  of  the  *  Farallone,'  was  not  that 
of  a  city,  rather  of  a  substantial  country  farm 
with  its  attendant  hamlet,  —  a  long  Hne  of  sheds 
and  store-houses  ;  apart,  upon  the  one  side,  a  deep- 
verandahed  dwelling-house ;  on  the  other,  perhaps 
a  dozen  native  huts,  a  building  with  a  belfry  and 
some  rude  offer  at  architectural  features  that 
might  be  thought  to  mark  it  out  for  a  chapel ;  on 
the  beach  in  front,  some  heavy  boats  drawn  up, 
and  a  pile  of  timber  running  forth  into  the  burn- 
ing shallows  of  the  lagoon.  From  a  flag-staff  at 
the  pierhead,  the  red  ensign  of  England  was  dis- 
played.    Behind,  about,  and  over,  the  same  tall 


THE   PEARL   FISHER.  Ill 

grove  of  palms  which  had  masked  the  settlement 
in  the  beginning,  prolonged  its  roof  of  tumultuous 
green  fans,  and  tossed  and  ruffled  overhead,  and 
sang  its  silver  song  all  day  in  the  wind.  The  place 
had  the  indescribable  but  unmistakable  appear- 
ance of  being  in  commission,  yet  there  breathed 
from  it  a  sense  of  desertion  that  was  almost 
poignant ;  no  human  figure  was  to  be  observed 
going  to  and  fro  about  the  houses,  and  there 
was  no  sound  of  human  industry  or  enjoyment. 
Only,  on  the  top  of  the  beach  and  hard  by  the 
flag-staff,  a  woman  of  exorbitant  stature  and  as 
white  as  snow  was  to  be  seen,  beckoning  with  up- 
lifted arm.  The  second  glance  identified  her  as  a 
piece  of  naval  sculpture,  the  figure-head  of  a  ship 
that  had  long  hovered  and  plunged  into  so  many 
running  billows,  and  was  now  brought  ashore  to  be 
the  ensign  and  presiding  genius  of  that  empty 
town. 

The  *  Farallone '  made  a  soldier's  breeze  of 
it;  the  wind,  besides,  was.  stronger  inside  than 
without  under  the  lee  of  the  land ;  and  the  stolen 
schooner  opened  out  successive  objects  with  the 
swiftness  of  a  panorama,  so  that  the  adventurers 
stood  speechless.  The  flag  spoke  for  itself ;  it  was 
no  frayed  and  weathered  trophy  that  had  beaten 
itself  to  pieces  on  the  post,  flying  over  desolation ; 
and,  to  make  assurance  stronger,  there  was  to  be 
descried,  in  the  deep  shade  of  the  veranda,  a  glitter 
of  crystal  and  the  fluttering  of  white  napery.  If 
the  figure-head  at  the  pier  end,  with  its  perpetual 


112  THE   EBB   TIDE. 

gesture  and  its  leprous  whiteness,  reigned  alone  in 
that  hamlet,  as  it  seemed  to  do,  it  could  not  have 
reigned  long.  Men's  hands  had  been  busy,  men's 
feet  stirring  there,  within  the  circuit  of  the  clock. 
The  Farallones  were  sure  of  it ;  their  eyes  dug  in 
the  deep  shadow  of  the  palms  for  some  one  hiding. 
If  intensity  of  looking  might  have  prevailed,  they 
would  have  pierced  the  walls  of  houses  ;  and  there 
came  to  them,  in  these  pregnant  seconds,  a  sense 
of  being  watched  and  played  with,  and  of  a  blow 
impending,  that  was  hardly  bearable. 

The  extreme  point  of  palms  they  had  just  passed 
enclosed  a  creek,  which  was  thus  hidden  up  to  the 
last  moment  from  the  eyes  of  those  on  board ;  and 
from  this  a  boat  put  suddenly  and  briskly  out,  and 
a  voice  hailed. 

"  Schooner  ahoy ! "  it  cried.  *'  Stand  in  for  the 
pier !  In  two  cables'  lengths  you  '11  have  twenty 
fathoms'  water  and  good  holding-ground." 

The  boat  was  manned  with  a  couple  of  brown 
oarsmen  in  scanty  kilts  of  blue.  The  speaker,  who 
was  steering,  wore  white  clothes,  the  full  dress  of 
the  tropics.  A  wide  hat  shaded  his  face;  but  it 
could  be  seen  that  he  was  of  stalwart  size,  and  his 
voice  sounded  like  a  gentleman's.  So  much  could 
be  made  out.  It  was  plain,  besides,  that  the  '  Far- 
allone'  had  been  descried  some  time  before  at 
sea,  and  the  inhabitants  were  prepared  for  its 
reception. 

Mechanically  the  orders  were  obeyed,  and  the 
ship  berthed ;  and  the  three  adventurers  gathered 


THE   PEARL   FISHER.  1x3 

aft  beside  the  house  and  waited,  with  galloping 
pulses  and  a  perfect  vacancy  of  mind,  the  coming 
of  the  stranger  who  might  mean  so  much  to  them. 
They  had  no  plan,  no  story  prepared,  there  was  no 
time  to  make  one,  they  were  caught  red-handed, 
and  must  stand  their  chance.  *Yet  this  anxiety  was 
checkered  with  hope.  The  island  being  undeclared, 
it  was  not  possible  the  man  could  hold  any  office  or 
be  in  a  position  to  demand  their  papers.  And  be- 
yond that,  if  there  was  any  truth  in  Findlay,  as  it 
now  seemed  there  should  be,  he  was  the  represen- 
tative of  the  "  private  reasons ;  "  and  must  see  their 
coming  with  a  profound  disappointment;  and  per- 
haps (hope  whispered)  he  would  be  wilHng  and 
able  to  purchase  their  silence. 

The  boat  was  by  that  time  forging  alongside,  and 
they  were  able  at  last  to  see  what  manner  of  man 
they  had  to  do  with.  He  was  a  huge  fellow,  six 
feet  four  in  height,  and  of  a  build  proportionately 
strong,  but  his  sinews  seemed  to  be  dissolved  in  a 
listlessness  that  was  more  than  languor.  It  was 
only  the  eye  that  corrected  this  impression,  —  an 
eye  of  an  unusual  mingled  brilliancy  and  softness, 
sombre  as  coal,  and  with  lights  that  outshone  the 
topaz ;  an  eye  of  unimpaired  health  and  virility ;  an 
eye  that  bid  you  beware  of  the  man's  devastating 
anger.  A  complexion  naturally  dark  had  been 
tanned  in  the  island  to  a  hue  hardly  distinguishable 
from  that  of  a  Tahitian;  only  his  manners  and 
movements,  and  the  living  force  that  dwelt  in  him, 
like  fire  in  flint,  betrayed  the  European.  He  was 
8 


114  THE   EBB   TIDE. 

dressed  in  white  drill,  exquisitely  made ;  his  scarf 
and  tie  were  of  tender  colored  silks ;  on  the  thwart 
beside  him  there  leaned  a  Winchester  rifle. 

"  Is  the  doctor  on  board  ?  "  he  cried,  as  he  came 
up.  "  Doctor  Symmonds,  I  mean  ?  You  never 
heard  of  him?  Nor  yet  of  the  'Trinity  Hall'? 
Ah  !  "  He  did  not  look  surprised ;  seemed,  rather, 
to  affect  it  in  politeness ;  but  his  eye  rested  on  each 
of  the  three  white  men  in  succession  with  a  sudden 
weight  of  curiosity  that  was  almost  savage.  "  Ah, 
//z^«,"  said  he,  "  there  is  some  small  mistake,  no 
doubt,  and  I  must  ask  you  to  what  I  am  indebted 
for  this  pleasure  ?  " 

He  was  by  this  time  on  the  deck,  but  he  had  the 
art  to  be  quite  unapproachable  ;  the  friendliest  vul- 
garian, three  parts  drunk,  would  have  known  better 
than  take  liberties ;  and  not  one  of  the  adventurers 
so  much  as  offered  to  shake  hands. 

"  Well,"  said  Davis,  "  I  suppose  you  may  call  it 
an  accident.  We  had  heard  of  your  island,  and 
read  that  thing  in  the  *  Directory  '  about  the  pri- 
vate reasons^  you  see ;  so  when  we  saw  the  lagoon 
reflected  in  the  sky,  we  put  her  head  for  it  at  once, 
and  here  we  are." 

"  'Ope  we  don't  intrude  !  "  said  Huish. 

The  stranger  looked  at  Huish  with  an  air  of  faint 
surprise,  and  looked  pointedly  away  again.  It  was 
hard  to  be  more  offensive  in  dumb  show. 

"It  may  suit  me,  your  coming  here,"  he  said. 
"  My  own  schooner  is  overdue,  and  I  may  put 
something  in  your  way  in  the  mean  time.  Are  you 
open  to  a  charter  ?  " 


THE  PEARL  FISHER.  II5 

"  Well,  I  guess  so,"  said  Davis ;  "  it  depends." 

"  My  name  is  Attwater,"  continued  the  stranger. 
"  You,  I  presume,  are  the  captain  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir.  I  am  the  captain  of  this  ship.  Cap- 
tain Brown,"  was  the  reply. 

"  Well,  see  'ere ! "  said  Huish,  "  better  begin  fair ! 
'E  's  skipper  on  deck  right  enough,  but  not  below. 
Below  we  're  all  equal,  all  got  a  lay  in  the  adven- 
ture. When  it  comes  to  business,  I  'm  as  good  as 
'e ;  and  what  I  say  is,  let 's  go  into  the  'ouse  and 
have  a  lush,  and  talk  it  over  among  pals.  We  've 
some  prime  fizz,"  he  said,  and  winked. 

The  presence  of  the  gentleman  lighted  up  like  a 
candle  the  vulgarity  of  the  clerk ;  and  Herrick,"  in' 
stinctively,  as  one  shields  himself  from  pain,  made 
haste  to  interrupt. 

"  My  name  is  Hay,"  said  he,  "  since  introduc- 
tions are  going.  We  shall  be  very  glad  if  you  will 
step  inside." 

Attwater  leaned  to  him  swiftly.  "  University 
man  ?  "  said  he. 

"  Yes,  Merton,"  said  Herrick,  and  the  next  mo- 
ment blushed  scarlet  at  his  indiscretion. 

"  I  am  of  the  other  lot,"  said  Attwater ;  "  Trinity 
Hall,  Cambridge.  I  called  my  schooner  after  the 
old  shop.  Well !  this  is  a  queer  place  and  com- 
pany for  us  to  meet  in,  Mr.  Hay,"  he  pursued,  with 
easy  incivility  to  the  others.  "But  do  you  bear 
out  —  I  beg  this  gentleman's  pardon,  I  really  did 
not  catch  his  name." 

"  My  name  is  'Uish,  sir,"  returned  the  clerk,  and 
blushed  in  turn. 


Il6  THE  EBB  TIDE. 

"  Ah  ! "  said  Attwater.  And  then  turning  again 
to  Herrick,  "  Do  you  bear  out  Mr.  Whish's  descrip- 
tion of  your  vintage,  or  was  it  only  the  unaffected 
poetry  of  his  own  nature  bubbhng  up  ?  " 

Herrick  was  embarrassed ;  the  silken  brutality 
of  their  visitor  made  him  blush.  That  he  should 
be  accepted  as  an  equal,  and  the  others  thus 
pointedly  ignored,  pleased  him  in  spite  of  him- 
self, and  then  ran  through  his  veins  in  a  recoil 
of  anger. 

"  I  don't  know,"  he  said.  "  It 's  only  California ; 
it 's  good  enough,  I  believe." 

Attwater  seemed  to  make  up  his  mind.  "  Well, 
then,  I  '11  tell  you  what :  you  three  gentlemen  come 
ashore  this  evening,  and  bring  a  basket  of  wine 
with  you ;  I  '11  try  and  find  the  food,"  he  said. 
"  And  by  the  by,  here  is  a  question  I  should  have 
asked  you  when  I  came  on  board :  Have  you  had 
small-pox  ?  " 

"  Personally,  no,"  said  Herrick.  "  But  the 
schooner  had  it." 

"  Deaths  ?  "  from  Attwater. 

"  Two,"  said  Herrick. 

"  Well,  it  is  a  dreadful  sickness,"  said  Attwater. 

"  'Ad  you  any  deaths,"  asked  Huish,  "  'ere  on 
the  island  ?  " 

"Twenty-nine,"  said  Attwater.  "Twenty-nine 
deaths  and  thirty-one  cases,  out  of  thirty-three 
souls  upon  the  island.  That's  a  strange  way  to 
calculate,  Mr.  Hay,  is  it  not?  Souls!  I  never  say 
it  but  it  startles  me." 


THE   PEARL   FISHER.  II7 

"  Oh,  SO  that 's  why  everything 's  deserted  ?  " 
said  Huish. 

"That  is  why,  Mr.  Whish,"  said  Attwater; 
"that  is  why  the  house  is  empty  and  the  grave- 
yard full." 

"Twenty-nine  out  of  thirty-three!"  exclaimed 
Herrick.  "Why,  when  it  came  to  burying  —  or 
did  you  bother  burying?" 

"  Scarcely,"  said  Attwater ;  "  or  there  was  one 
day,  at  least,  when  we  gave  up.  There  were  five 
of  the  dead  that  morning,  and  thirteen  of  the 
dying,  and  no  one  able  to  go  about  except  the 
sexton  and  myself.  We  held  a  council  of  war, 
took  the  —  empty  bottles  —  into  the  lagoon,  and  — 
buried  them."  He  looked  over  his  shoulder,  back 
at  the  bright  water.  "Well,  so  you'll  come  to 
dinner,  then?  Shall  we  say  half-past  six?  So 
good  of  you  !  " 

His  voice,  in  uttering  these  conventional  phrases, 
fell  at  once  into  the  false  measure  of  society ;  and 
Herrick  unconsciously  followed  the  example. 

"  I  am  sure  we  shall  be  very  glad,"  he  said. 
"At  half-past  six?     Thank  you  so  very  much." 

"  '  For  my  voice  has  been  tuned  to  the  note  of  the  gun, 
That  startles  the  deep  when  the  combat 's  begun,'  " 

quoted  ,Attwater,  with  a  smile,  which  instantly 
gave  way  to  an  air  of  funereal  solemnity.  "  I 
shall  particularly  expect  Mr.  Whish,"  he  con- 
tinued. "  Mr.  Whish,  I  trust  you  understand 
the  invitation  ?  " 


Il8  THE   EBB   TIDE. 

"  I  believe  you,  my  boy ! "  replied  the  genial 
Huish. 

"  That  is  right,  then ;  and  quite  understood,  is  it 
not?"  said  Attwater.  "Mr.  Whish  and  Captain 
Brown  at  six-thirty  without  fail;  and  you,  Hay,  at 
four  sharp." 

And  he  called  his  boat. 

During  all  this  talk,  a  load  of  thought  or  anx- 
iety had  weighed  upon  the  captain.  There  was 
no  part  for  which  nature  had  so  liberally  endowed 
him  as  that  of  the  genial  ship-captain.  But  to-day 
he  was  silent  and  abstracted.  Those  who  knew 
him  could  see  that  he  hearkened  close  to  every 
syllable,  and  seemed  to  ponder  and  try  it  in  bal- 
ances. It  would  have  been  hard  to  say  what  look 
there  was,  cold,  attentive,  and  sinister,  as  of  a  man 
maturing  plans,  which  still  brooded  over  the  uncon- 
scious guest;  it  was  here,  it  was  there,  it  was 
nowhere;  it  was  now  so  little  that  Herrick  chid 
himself  for  an  idle  fancy ;  and  anon  it  was  so 
gross  and  palpable  that  you  could  say  every  hair 
on  the  man's  head  talked  mischief. 

He  woke  up  now,  as  with  a  start.  "  You  were 
talking  of  a  charter,"  said  he. 

"Was  I?"  said  Attwater.  "Well,  let's  talk 
of  it  no  more  at  present." 

"  Your  own  schooner  is  overdue,  I  understand .'' " 
continued  the  captain. 

"You  understand  perfectly.  Captain  Brown," 
said  Attwater ;  "  thirty-three  days  overdue  at  noon 
to-day." 


THE   PEARL   FISHER.  II9 

"She  comes  and  goes,  eh?  Flies  between  here 
and  —  ?"  hinted  the  captain. 

"  Exactly ;  every  four  months ;  three  trips  in 
the  year,"  said  Attwater. 

"  You  go  in  her,  ever?  "  asked  Davis. 

''  No,  I  stop  here,"  said  Attwater ;  "  one  has 
plenty  to  attend  to  here." 

"  Stop  here,  do  you  ?  "  cried  Davis.  "  Say,  how 
long?" 

"  How  long,  O  Lord  ! "  said  Attwater,  with  per- 
fect, stern  gravity.  "But  it  does  not  seem  so," 
he  added,  with  a  smile. 

"  No,  I  dare  say  not,"  said  Davis.  "  No,  I  sup- 
pose not.  Not  with  all  your  gods  about  you,  and 
in  as^  snug  a  berth  as  this.  For  it  is  a  pretty  snug 
berth,"  said  he,  with  a  sweeping  look. 

"  The  spot,  as  you  are  good  enough  to  indicate, 
is  not  entirely  intolerable,"  was  the  reply. 

"  Shell,  I  suppose  ?  "  said  Davis. 

"  Yes,  there  was  shell,"  said  Attwater. 

"  This  is  a  considerable  big  beast  of  a  lagoon, 
sir,"  said  the  captain.  "  Was  there  a  —  was  the 
fishing  —  would  you  call  the  fishing  anyways 
good?'' 

"  I  don't  know  that  I  would  call  it  anyways  any- 
thing," said  Attwater,  "  if  you  put  it  to  me  direct." 

"  There  were  pearls,  too?"  said  Davis. 

"  Pearls,  too,"  said  Attwater. 

"Well,  I  give  out!"  laughed  Davis,  and  his 
laughter  rang  cracked  like  a  false  piece.  "If 
you  're  not  going  to  tell,  you  're  not  going  to  tell, 
and  there  's  an  end  to  it." 


120  THE   EBB   TIDE. 

"  There  can  be  no  reason  why  I  should  affect 
the  least  degree  of  secrecy  about  my  island," 
returned  Attwater.  "  That  came  wholly  to  an 
end  with  your  arrival ;  and  I  am  sure  at  any  rate 
that  gentlemen  like  you  and  Mr.  Whish  I  should 
have  always  been  charmed  to  make  perfectly  at 
home.  The  point  on  which  we  are  now  differ- 
ing—  if  you  can  call  it  a  difference — is  one  of 
times  and  seasons.  I  have  some  information 
which  you  think  I  might  impart,  and  I  think  not. 
Well,  we'll  see  to-night!  By-by,  Whish!"  He 
stepped  into  his  boat  and  shoved  off.  "  All  under- 
stood, then  ? "  said  he.  "  The  captain  and  Mr. 
Whish  at  six-thirty,  and  you.  Hay,  at  four  precise. 
You  understand  that.  Hay?  Mind,  I  take  no 
denial.  If  you  're  not  there  by  the  time  named, 
there  will  be  no  banquet.  No  song,  no  supper, 
Mr.  Whish !  " 

White  birds  whisked  in  the  air  above,  a  shoal 
of  party-colored  fishes  in  the  scarce  denser  medium 
below;  between,  like  Mahomet's  coffin,  the  boat 
drew  away  briskly  on  the  surface,  and  its  shadow 
followed  it  over  the  glittering  floor  of  the  lagoon. 
Attwater  looked  steadily  back  over  his  shoulders 
as  he  sat ;  he  did  not  once  remove  his  eyes  from 
the  '  Farallone '  and  the  group  on  her  quarter- 
deck beside  the  house,  till  his  boat  ground  upon 
the  pier.  Thence,  with  an  agile  pace,  he  hurried 
ashore,  and  they  saw  his  white  clothes  shining  in 
the  checkered  dusk  of  the  grove  until  the  house 
received  him. 


THE   PEARL   FISHER.  121 

The  captain,  with  a  gesture  and  a  speaking 
countenance,  called  the  adventurers  into  the  cabin. 

"  Well,"  he  said  to  Herrick,  when  they  were 
seated,  "there's  one  good  job  at  least.  He's 
taken  to  you  in  earnest." 

"  Why  should  that  be  a  good  job  ?  "  said  Herrick. 

"  Oh,  you  '11  see  how  it  pans  out  presently,"  re- 
turned Davis.  "  You  go  ashore  and  stand  in  with 
him,  that 's  all !  You  '11  get  lots  of  pointers  ;  you 
can  find  out  what  he  has,  and  what  the  charter  is, 
and  who  's  the  fourth  man,  —  for  there  's  four  of 
them,  and  we  're  only  three." 

"  And  suppose  I  do,  what  next  ?  "  cried  Herrick. 
"  Answer  me  that !  " 

"  So  I  will,  Robert  Herrick,"  said  the  captain. 
"  But  first,  let 's  see  all  clear.  I  guess  you  know," 
he  said  with  an  imperious  solemnity,  "  I  guess  you 
know  the  bottom  is  about  out  of  this  *  Farallone  ' 
speculation  ?  I  guess  you  know  it 's  right  out ;  and 
if  this  old  island  had  n't  turned  up  right  when  it 
did,  I  guess  you  know  where  you  and  I  and  Huish 
would  have  been  ?  " 

"  Yes,  I  know  that,"  said  Herrick.  "  No  matter 
who  's  to  blame,  I  know  it.     And  what  next?  " 

"  No  matter  who  's  to  blame,  you  know  it,  right 
enough,"  said  the  captain,  "  and  I  'm  obliged  to  you 
for  the  reminder.  Now  here's  this  Attwater; 
what  do  you  think  of  him  ?  " 

"  I  do  not  know,"  said  Herrick.  "  I  am  attracted 
and  repelled.     He  was  insufferably  rude  to  you." 

"  And  you,  Huish  ?  "  said  the  captain. 


122  THE   EBB   TIDE. 

Huish  sat  cleaning  a  favorite  brier-root;  he 
scarce  looked  up  from  that  engrossing  task. 
"  Don't  ast  me  what  I  think  of  him ! "  he  said. 
"  There  's  a  day  comin,'  I  pray  Gawd,  when  I  can 
tell  it  him  myself." 

"Huish  means  the  same  as  what  I  do,"  said 
Davis.  "  When  that  man  came  stepping  around, 
and  saying  :  '  Look  here,  I  'm  Attwater '  —  and  you 
knew  it  was  so,  by  God  !  —  I  sized  him  right  straight 
up.  Here  's  the  real  article,  I  said,  and  I  don't 
like  it ;  here  's  the  real,  first-rate,  copper-bottomed 
aristocrat.  ^  Aw  !  don't  know  ye,  do  I?  God  d—n 
ye,  did  God  make  ye  f  '  No,  that  could  n't  be  nothing 
but  genuine ;  a  man  's  got  to  be  born  to  that.  And 
notice  !  smart  as  champagne  and  hard  as  nails ;  no 
kind  of  a  fool ;  no,  sir  I  not  a  pound  of  him !  Well, 
what 's  he  here  upon  this  beastly  island  for  ?  I  said. 
He  'j  not  here  collecting  eggs.  He 's  a  palace  at 
home,  and  powdered  flunkies  ;  and  if  he  don't  stay 
there,  you  bet  he  knows  the  reason  why !    Follow  ?  " 

"  Oh,  yes,  I  'ear  you,"  said  Huish. 

"  He  's  been  doing  good  business  here,  then," 
continued  the  captain.  "  For  years  he 's  been 
doing  a  great  business.  It 's  pearl  and  shell,  of 
course ;  there  could  n't  be  nothing  else  in  such  a 
place;  and  no  doubt  the  shell  goes  off  regularly  by 
this  *  Trinity  Hall,'  and  the  money  for  it  straight 
into  the  bank,  so  that's  no  use  to  us.  But  what 
else  is  there?  Is  there  nothing  else  he  would  be 
likely  to  keep  here  ?  Is  there  nothing  else  he  would 
be  bound  to  keep  here  ?    Yes,   sir ;  the  pearls ! 


THE  PEARL  FISHER. 


123 


First,  because  they  're  too  valuable  to  trust  out  of 
his  hands.  Second,  because  pearls  want  a  lot  of 
handling  and  matching ;  and  the  man  who  sells  his 
pearls  as  they  come  in,  one  here,  one  there,  instead 
of  hanging  back  and  holding  up  —  well,  that  man  's 
a  fool,  and  it 's  not  Attwater." 

"  It 's  likely,"  said  Huish,  "  that 's  w'at  it  is ;  not 
proved,  but  likely." 

"  It 's  proved,"  said  Davis,  bluntly. 

"Suppose  it  was?"  said  Herrick.  "Suppose 
that  was  all  so,  and  he  had  these  pearls,  —  years 
and  years'  collection  of  them  ?  Suppose  he  had  ? 
There  's  my  question." 

The  captain  drummed  with  his  thick  hands  on 
the  board  in  front  of  him;  he  looked  steadily  in 
Herrick's  face,  and  Herrick  as  steadily  looked  upon 
the  table  and  the  pattering  fingers.  There  was  a 
gentle  oscillation  of  the  anchored  ship,  and  a  big 
patch  of  sunlight  travelled  to  and  fro  between  one 
and  the  other. 

"  Hear  me  !  "  Herrick  burst  out  suddenly. 

"No,  you  better  hear  me  first,"  said  Davis. 
"  Hear  me  and  understand  me.  We  've  got  no  use 
for  that  fellow,  whatever  you  may  have.  He 's 
your  kind,  he  *s  not  ours  ;  he 's  took  to  you,  and  he  's 
wiped  his  boots  on  me  and  Huish.  Save  him  if 
you  can !  " 

"Save  him .?  "  repeated  Herrick. 

"  Save  him  if  you  're  able ! "  reiterated  Davis, 
with  a  blow  of  his  cHnched  fist.  "  Go  ashore,  and 
talk  him  smooth ;  and  if  you  get  him  and  his  pearls 


124  THE   EBB    TIDE. 

aboard,  I  '11  spare  him.  If  you  don't,  there 's  going 
to  be  a  funeral.  Is  that  so,  Huish  ?  Does  that 
suit  you  ?  " 

"  I  ain't  a  forgiving  man,"  said  Huish,  "  but  I  'm 
not  the  sort  to  spoil  business  neither.  Bring  the 
bloke  on  board,  and  his  pearls  along  with  him,  and 
you  can  have  it  your  own  way  ;  maroon  him  where 
you  like —  I  'm  agreeable." 

"  Well,  and  if  I  can't  ?  "  cried  Herrick,  while  the 
sweat  streamed  upon  his  face.  "  You  talk  to  me 
as  if  I  was  God  Almighty,  to  do  this  and  that ! 
But  if  I  can't?" 

"  My  son,"  said  the  captain,  "  you  better  do  your 
level  best,  or  you  '11  see  sights  !  " 

"  Oh,  yes,"  said  Huish.  "  Oh,  crikey,  yes  !  "  He 
looked  across  at  Herrick  with  a  toothless  smile  that 
was  shocking  in  its  savagery ;  and,  his  ear  caught 
apparently  by  the  trivial  expression  he  had  used, 
he  broke  into  a  piece  of  the  chorus  of  a  comic  song 
which  he  must  have  heard  twenty  years  before  in 
London,  —  meaningless  gibberish  that,  in  that  hour 
and  place,  seemed  hateful  as  a  blasphemy  :  "  Hikey, 
pikey,  crikey,  fikey,  chillingawallaba  dory." 

The  captain  suffered  him  to  finish  ;  his  face  was 
unchanged. 

"  The  way  things  are,  there  's  many  a  man  that 
would  n't  let  you  go  ashore,"  he  resumed.  "  But 
I  'm  not  that  kind.  I  know  you  'd  never  go  back 
on  me,  Herrick  !  Or  if  you  choose  to  —  go  and  do 
it,  and  be  d — d  !  "  he  cried,  and  rose  abruptly  from 
the  table. 


THE   PEARL   FISHER.  125 

He  walked  out  of  the  house,  and,  as  he  reached 
the  door,  turned  and  called  Huish,  suddenly  and 
violently,  like  the  barking  of  a  dog.  Huish  followed, 
and  Herrick  remained  alone  in  the  cabin. 

"  Now,  see  here,"  whispered  Davis ;  "  I  know 
that  man.  If  you  open  your  mouth  to  him  again, 
you'll  ruin  all." 


Ti 


CHAPTER   VIIL 

BETTER  ACQUAINTANCE. 


HE  boat  was  gone  again,  and  already  half  way 
to  the  *  Farallone,'  before  Herrick  turned  and  went 
unwillingly  up  the  pier.  From  the  crown  of  the 
beach,  the  figure-head  confronted  him  with  what 
seemed  irony,  her  helmeted  head  tossed  back,  her 
formidable  arm  apparently  hurling  something, 
whether  shell  or  missile,  in  the  direction  of  the  an- 
chored schooner.  She  seemed  a  defiant  deity  from 
the  island,  coming  forth  to  its  threshold  with  a  rush 
as  of  one  about  to  fly,  and  perpetuated  in  that 
dashing  attitude.  Herrick  looked  up  at  her,  where 
she  towered  above  him  head  and  shoulders,  with 
singular  feelings  of  curiosity  and  romance,  and 
suffered  his  mind  to  travel  to  and  fro  in  her  life 
history.  So  long  she  had  been  the  blind  con- 
ductress of  a  ship  among  the  waves ;  so  long  she 
had  stood  here  idle  in  the  violent  sun  that  yet  did 
not  avail  to  blister  her ;  and  was  even  this  the  end 
of  so  many  adventures,  he  wondered,  or  was  more 
behind  ?  And  he  could  have  found  it  in  his  heart 
to  regret  that  she  was  not  a  goddess,  nor  yet  he  a 
pagan,  that  he  might  have  bowed  down  before  her 
in  that  hour  of  difficulty. 


BETTER   ACQUAINTANCE.  12/ 

Where  he  now  went  forward,  it  was  cool  with  the 
shadow  of  many  well-grown  palms  ;  draughts  of  the 
dying  breeze  swung  them  together  overhead ;  and 
on  all  sides,  with  a  swiftness  beyond  dragon-flies  or 
swallows,  the  spots  of  sunshine  flitted  and  hovered 
and  returned.  Underfoot,  the  sand  was  fairly  solid 
and  quite  level,  and  Herrick's  steps  fell  there  noise- 
less as  in  new-fallen  snow.  It  bore  the  marks  of 
having  been  once  weeded  like  a  garden  alley  at 
home ;  but  the  pestilence  had  done  its  work,  and 
the  weeds  were  returning.  The  buildings  of  the 
settlement  showed  here  and  there  through  the  stems 
of  the  colonnade,  fresh-painted,  trim  and  dandy, 
and  all  silent  as  the  grave.  Only  here  and  there 
in  the  crypt  there  was  a  rustle  and  scurry  and  some 
crowing  of  poultry ;  and  from  behind  the  house  with 
the  verandas  he  saw  smoke  rise  and  heard  the 
crackling  of  a  fire. 

The  store-houses  were  nearest  him  upon  his 
right.  The  first  was  locked ;  in  the  second  he 
could  dimly  perceive,  through  a  window,  a  certain 
accumulation  of  pearl  shell  piled  in  the  far  end  ;  the 
third,  which  stood  gaping  open  on  the  afternoon, 
seized  on  the  mind  of  Herrick  with  its  multiplicity 
and  disorder  of  romantic  things.  Therein  were 
cables,  windlasses,  and  blocks  of  every  size  and 
capacity ;  cabin  windows  and  ladders ;  rusty  tanks ; 
a  companion  hatch;  a  binnacle  with  its  brass 
mountings,  and  its  compass  idly  pointing,  in  the 
confusion  and  dusk  of  that  shed,  to  a  forgotten 
pole;  ropes,  anchors,  harpoons;  a  blubber-dipper 


128  THE   EBB   TIDE. 

of  copper,  green  with  years ;  a  steering-wheel ;  a 
tool-chest  with  the  vessel's  name  upon  the  top,  the 
'  Asia,'  —  a  whole  curiosity-shop  of  sea  curios, 
gross  and  solid,  heavy  to  lift,  ill  to  break,  bound 
with  brass  and  shod  with  iron.  Two  wrecks  at 
least  must  have  contributed  to  this  random  heap 
of  lumber;  and  as  Herrick  looked  upon  it,  it 
seemed  to  him  as  if  the  two  ships'  companies  were 
there  on  guard,  and  he  heard  the  tread  of  feet 
and  whisperings,  and  saw  with  the  tail  of  his  eye 
the  commonplace  ghosts  of  sailormen. 

This  was  not  merely  the  work  of  an  aroused 
imagination,  but  had  something  sensible  to  go 
upon.  Sounds  of  a  stealthy  approach  were  no 
doubt  audible ;  and  while  he  still  stood  staring  at 
the  lumber,  the  voice  of  his  host  sounded  suddenly, 
and  with  even  more  than  the  customary  softness  of 
enunciation,  from  behind. 

"  Junk,"  it  said,  "  only  old  junk  !  And  does  Mr. 
Hay  find  a  parable  ?  " 

"I  find  at  least  a  strong  impression,"  replied 
Herrick,  turning  quickly,  lest  he  might  be  able  to 
catch,  on  the  face  of  the  speaker,  some  commentary 
on  the  words. 

Attwater  stood  in  the  doorway,  which  he  almost 
wholly  filled,  his  hands  stretched  above  his  head 
and  grasping  the  architrave.  He  smiled  when 
their  eyes  met,  but  the  expression  was  inscrutable. 

"  Yes,  a  powerful  impression.  You  are  like  me 
—  nothing  so  affecting  as  ships !  "  said  he.  "  The 
ruins  of  an  empire  would  leave  me  frigid,  when  a 


BETTER   ACQUAINTANCE.  1 29 

bit  of  an  old  rail  that  an  old  shellback  leaned  on  in 
the  middle  watch  would  bring  me  up  all  standing. 
But  come,  let 's  see  some  more  of  the  island.  It 's 
all  sand  and  coral  and  palm-trees ;  but  there  's  a 
kind  of  quaintness  in  the  place." 

"  I  find  it  heavenly,"  said  Herrick,  breathing 
deep,  with  head  bared  in  the  shadow. 

"  Ah,  that 's  because  you  're  new  from  sea,"  said 
Attwater.  "  I  dare  say,  too,  you  can  appreciate 
what  one  calls  it.  It 's  a  lovely  name.  It  has  a 
flavor,  it  has  a  color,  it  has  a  ring  and  fall  to  it ; 
it 's  like  its  author  —  it 's  half  Christian  !  Remem- 
ber your  first  view  of  the  island,  and  how  it 's  only 
woods  and  water;  and  suppose  you  had  asked 
somebody  for  the  name,  and  he  had  answered, 
nemorosa  Zacynthos^'' 

"  Jam  medio  apparet  fitictu  ! "  exclaimed  Her- 
rick.    "  Ye  gods !  yes,  how  good  !  " 

"  If  it  gets  upon  the  chart,  the  skippers  will  make 
nice  work  of  it,"  said  Attwater.  "  But  here,  come 
and  see  the  diving-shed." 

He  opened  a  door,  and  Herrick  saw  a  large  dis- 
play of  apparatus  neatly  ordered,  —  pumps  and 
pipes,  and  the  leaded  boots,  and  the  huge  snouted 
helmets  shining  in  rows  along  the  wall,  —  ten  com- 
plete outfits. 

"  The  whole  eastern  half  of  my  lagoon  is  shallow, 
you  must  understand,"  said  Attwater ;  "  so  we  were 
able  to  get  in  the  dress  to  great  advantage.  It  paid 
beyond  behef,  and  was  a  queer  sight  when  they 
were  at  it ;  and  these  marine  monsters  "  —  tapping 
9 


130  THE   EBB   TIDE. 

the  nearest  of  the  helmets  —  "  kept  appearing  and 
reappearing  in  the  midst  of  the  lagoon.  Fond  of 
parables  ?  "  he  asked  abruptly. 

"  Oh,  yes  !  "  said  Herrick. 

"Well,  I  saw  these  machines  come  up  dripping 
and  go  down  again,  and  come  up  dripping  and 
go  down  again,  and  all  the  while  the  fellow 
inside  as  dry  as  toast,"  said  Attwater;  "and  I 
thought  we  all  wanted  a  dress  to  go  down  into  the 
world  in,  and  come  up  scathless.  What  do  you 
think  the  name  was  ?  "  he  inquired. 

"  Self-conceit,"  said  Herrick. 

"  Ah,  but  I  mean  seriously,"  said  Attwater. 

"  Call  it  self-respect,  then,"  corrected  Herrick, 
with  a  laugh. 

"  And  why  not  grace  ?  Why  not  God's  grace, 
Hay  ? "  asked  Attwater.  "  Why  not  the  grace 
of  your  Maker  and  Redeemer,  he  who  died  for 
you,  he  who  upholds  you,  he  whom  you  daily 
crucify  afresh  ?  There  is  nothing  here  "  —  strik- 
ing on  his  bosom  —  "  nothing  there  "  —  smiting 
the  wall  —  "  and  nothing  there  "  —  stamping  — 
"  nothing  but  God's  grace !  We  walk  upon,  we 
breathe  it;  we  live  and  die  by  it;  it  makes  the 
nails  and  axles  of  the  universe ;  and  a  puppy  in 
pyjamas  prefers  self-conceit ! "  The  huge  dark 
man  stood  over  against  Herrick  by  the  line  of 
divers'  helmets,  and  seemed  to  swell  and  glow; 
and  the  next  moment  the  life  had  gone  from  him. 
"  I  beg  your  pardon,"  said  he ;  "I  see  you  don't 
believe  in  God." 


BETTER  ACQUAINTANCE.  I3I 

"  Not  in  your  sense,  I  am  afraid,"  said  Herrick. 

"  I  never  argue  with  young  atheists  or  habitual 
drunkards,"  said  Attwater,  flippantly.  "  Let  us  go 
across  the  island  to  the  outer  beach." 

It  was  but  a  little  way,  the  greatest  width  of  that 
island  scarce  exceeding  a  furlong,  and  they  walked 
gently.  Herrick  was  like  one  in  a  dream.  He  had 
come  there  with  a  mind  divided,  —  come  prepared  to 
study  that  ambiguous  and  sneering  mask,  drag  out 
the  essential  man  from  underneath,  and  act  accord- 
ingly; decision  being  till  then  postponed.  Iron 
cruelty,  an  iron  insensibility  to  the  suffering  of 
others,  the  uncompromising  pursuit  of  his  own  in- 
terests, cold  culture,  manners  without  humanity,  — 
these  he  had  looked  for,  these  he  still  thought  he 
saw.  But  to  find  the  whole  machine  thus  glow 
with  the  reverberation  of  religious  zeal,  surprised 
him  beyond  words ;  and  he  labored  in  vain,  as  he 
walked,  to  piece  together  into  any  kind  of  whole 
his  odds  and  ends  of  knowledge ;  to  adjust  again, 
into  any  kind  of  focus  with  itself,  his  picture  of  the 
man  beside  him. 

"What  brought  you  here  to  the  South  Seas?" 
he  asked  presently. 

"Many  things,"  said  Attwater.  "Youth,  curi- 
osity, romance,  the  love  of  the  sea,  and  (it  will 
surprise  you  to  hear)  an  interest  in  missions.  That 
has  a  good  deal  declined,  which  will  surprise  you 
less.  They  go  the  wrong  way  to  work ;  they  are 
too  parsonish,  too  much  of  the  old  wife,  and  even 
the  old  apple-wife.    Clothes,  clothes,  are  their  idea ; 


132  THE   EBB   TIDE. 

but  clothes  are  not  Christianity,  any  more  than  they 
are  the  sun  in  heaven,  or  could  take  the  place  of  it ! 
They  think  a  parsonage  with  roses,  and  church 
bells,  and  nice  old  women  bobbing  in  the  lanes, 
are  part  and  parcel  of  religion.  But  religion  is  a 
savage  thing,  like  the  universe  it  illuminates ;  sav- 
age, cold,  and  bare,  but  infinitely  strong." 

"And  you  found  this  island  by  an  accident?" 
said  Herrick. 

"  As  you  did,"  said  Attwater.  "  And  since  then 
I  have  had  a  business  and  a  colony  and  a  mission 
of  my  own.  I  was  a  man  of  the  world  before  I 
was  a  Christian ;  I  'm  a  man  of  the  world  still,  and 
I  made  my  mission  pay.  No  good  ever  came  of 
coddling.  A  man  has  to  stand  up  in  God's  sight 
and  work  up  to  his  weight  avoirdupois ;  then  I  '11 
talk  to  him,  but  not  before.  I  gave  these  beggars 
what  they  wanted,  —  a  judge  in  Israel,  the  bearer  of 
the  sword  and  scourge.  I  was  making  a  new  peo- 
ple here,  and  behold !  the  angel  of  the  Lord  smote 
them,  and  they  were  not !  " 

With  the  very  uttering  of  the  words,  which  were 
accompanied  by  a  gesture,  they  came  forth  out  of 
the  porch  of  the  palm  wood  by  the  margin  of  the 
sea,  and  full  in  front  of  the  sun,  which  was  near 
setting.  Before  them  the  surf  broke  slowly.  All 
around,  with  an  air  of  imperfect  wooden  things  in- 
spired with  wicked  activity,  the  land-crabs  trundled 
and  scuttled  into  holes.  On  the  right,  whither  Att- 
water pointed  and  abruptly  turned,  was  the  ceme- 
tery of  the  island,  a  field  of  broken  stones  from  the 


BETTER   ACQUAINTANCE.  1 33 

bigness  of  a  child's  hand  to  that  of  his  head,  diver- 
sified by  many  mounds  of  the  same  material,  and 
walled  by  a  rude  rectangular  enclosure  of  the  same. 
Nothing  grew  there  but  a  shrub  or  two  with  some 
white  flowers ;  nothing  but  the  number  of  the 
mounds,  and  their  disquieting  shape,  indicated  the 
presence  of  the  dead. 

"  '  The  rude  forefathers  of  the  hamlet  lie ! ' " 
quoted  Attwater,  as  he  entered  by  the  open  gate- 
way into  that  unhomely  close.  "  Coral  to  coral, 
pebbles  to  pebbles,"  he  said ;  "  this  has  been  the 
main  scene  of  my  activity  in  the  South  Pacific. 
Some  were  good,  and  some  bad,  and  the  majority 
(of  course  and  always)  null.  Here  was  a  fellow, 
now,  that  used  to  frisk  like  a  dog;  if  you  had 
called  him,  he  came  like  an  arrow  from  a  bow; 
if  you  had  not,  and  he  came  unbidden,  you  should 
have  seen  the  deprecating  eye  and  the  little  intri- 
cate dancing  step.  Well,  his  trouble  is  over  now ; 
he  has  lain  down  with  kings  and  councillors ;  the 
rest  of  his  acts,  are  they  not  written  in  the  Book  of 
the  Chronicles?  That  fellow  was  from  Penrhyn; 
like  all  the  Penrhyn  islanders  he  was  ill  to  manage  ; 
heady,  jealous,  violent,  —  the  man  with  the  nose ! 
He  lies  here  quiet  enough.  And  so  they  all  lie. 
'And  darkness  was  the  burier  of  the  dead.'" 

He  stood,  in  the  strong  glow  of  the  sunset,  with 
bowed  head ;  his  voice  sounded  now  sweet  and  now 
bitter,  with  the  varying  sense. 

"  You  loved  these  people  ? "  cried  Herrick, 
strangely  touched. 


134  THE  EBB   TIDE. 

"  I  ?  "  said  Attwater.  "  Dear,  no  !  Don't  think 
me  a  philanthropist.  I  dislike  men,  and  I  hate 
women.  If  I  like  the  islands  at  all,  it  is  because 
you  see  them  here  plucked  of  their  lendings,  their 
dead  birds  and  cocked  hats,  their  petticoats  and 
colored  hose.  Here  was  one  I  hked,  though,"  and 
he  set  his  foot  upon  a  mound.  "  He  was  a  fine, 
savage  fellow;  he  had  a  dark  soul.  Yes,  I  liked 
this  one.  I  am  fanciful,"  he  added,  looking  hard 
at  Herrick,  "  and  I  take  fads.     I  hke  you." 

Herrick  turned  swiftly,  and  looked  far  away  to 
where  the  clouds  were  beginning  to  troop  together 
and  amass  themselves  round  the  obsequies  of  day. 
"  No  one  can  like  me,"  he  said. 

"You  are  wrong  there,"  said  the  other,  "as  a 
man  usually  is  about  himself.  You  are  attractive, 
very  attractive." 

"  It  is  not  me,"  said  Herrick ;  "  no  one  can 
like  me.  If  you  knew  how  I  despised  myself  — 
and  why ! "  His  voice  rang  out  m  the  quiet 
graveyard. 

"  I  knew  that  you  despised  yourself,"  said  Att- 
water. "  I  saw  the  blood  come  into  your  face 
to-day  when  you  remembered  Oxford.  And  I 
could  have  blushed  for  you  myself,  to  see  a  man, 
a  gentleman,  with  those  two  vulgar  wolves." 

Herrick  faced  him  with  a  thrill.  "  Wolves.? "  he 
repeated. 

"I  said  wolves,  and  vulgar  wolves,"  said  Att- 
water. "  Do  you  know  that  to-day,  when  I  came 
on  board,  I  trembled  ? " 


BETTER  ACQUAINTANCE.  1 35 

"  You  concealed  it  well,"  stammered  Herrick. 

"  A  habit  of  mine,"  said  Attwater.  "  But  I  was 
afraid,  for  all  that.  I  was  afraid  of  the  two 
wolves."  He  raised  his  hand  slowly.  "  And  now, 
Hay,  you  poor,  lost  puppy,  what  do  you  do  with 
the  two  wolves?" 

"What  do  I  do?  I  don't  do  anything,"  said 
Herrick.  "  There  is  nothing  wrong;  all  is  above 
board ;  Captain  Brown  is  a  good  soul ;  he  is  a  — 
he  is  —  "  The  phantom  voice  of  Davis  called  in 
his  ear,  "  There  's  going  to  be  a  funeral ;  "  and  the 
sweat  burst  forth  and  streamed  on  his  brow.  "  He 
is  a  family  man,"  he  resumed  again,  swallowing ; 
"  he  has  children  at  home,  —  and  a  wife." 

"  And  a  very  nice  man  ?  "  said  Attwater.  "  And 
so  is  Mr.  Whish,  no  doubt  ?  " 

"  I  won't  go  so  far  as  that,"  said  Herrick.  "  I 
do  not  Hke  Huish.  And  yet  —  he  has  his  merits, 
too." 

"  And,  in  short,  take  them  for  all  in  all,  as  good  a 
ship's  company  as  one  would  ask  ?  "  said  Attwater. 

"  Oh,  yes,"  said  Herrick,  "  quite." 

"  So,  then,  we  approach  the  other  point,  of  why 
you  despise  yourself  ?  "  said  Attwater. 

"  Do  we  not  all  despise  ourselves  ?  "  cried  Her- 
rick.    "  Do  not  you  ?  " 

"  Oh,  I  say  I  do.  But  do  I  ? "  said  Attwater. 
"  One  thing  I  know,  at  least ;  I  never  gave  a  cry 
like  yours.  Hay,  it  came  from  a  bad  conscience ! 
Ah,  man,  that  poor  diving-dress  of  self-conceit  is 
sadly  tattered  !     To-day,  if  ye  will  hear  my  voice. 


136  THE  EBB   TIDE. 

To-day,  now,  while  the  sun  sets,  and  here  in  this 
burying-place  of  brown  innocents,  fall  on  your 
knees  and  cast  your  sins  and  sorrows  on  the 
Redeemer.     Hay — " 

"  Not  Hay  !  "  interrupted  the  other,  strangling. 
"  Don't  call  me  that !  I  mean  —  For  God's  sake, 
can't  you  see  I  'm  on  the  rack  ?  " 

"  I  see  it ;  I  know  it ;  I  put  and  keep  you  there  ; 
my  fingers  are  on  the  screws,"  said  Attwater. 
"  Please  God,  I  will  bring  a  penitent  this  night 
before  His  throne.  Come,  come  to  the  mercy 
seat !  He  waits  to  be  gracious,  man,  —  waits  to 
be  gracious !  " 

He  spread  out  his  arms  like  a  crucifix ;  his  face 
shone  with  the  brightness  of  a  seraph's;  in  his 
voice,  as  it  rose  to  the  last  word,  the  tears  seemed 
ready. 

Herrick  made  a  vigorous  call  upon  himself. 
"Attwater,"  he  said,  "you  push  me  beyond  bear- 
ing. What  am  I  to  do  ?  I  do  not  believe.  It  is 
living  truth  to  you;  to  me,  upon  my  conscience, 
only  folk-lore.  I  do  not  believe  there  is  any  form 
of  words  under  heaven  by  which  I  can  lift  the 
burthen  from  my  shoulders.  I  must  stagger  on  to 
the  end  with  the  pack  of  my  responsibility ;  I  can- 
not shift  it.  Do  you  suppose  I  would  not,  if  I 
thought  I  could  ?  I  cannot  —  cannot  —  cannot  — 
and  let  that  suffice  !  " 

The  rapture  was  all  gone  from  Attwater's  coun- 
tenance ;  the  dark  apostle  had  disappeared,  and  in 
his  place  there  stood  an  easy,  sneering  gentleman, 


BETTER   ACQUAINTANCE.  I37 

who  took  off  his  hat  and  bowed.  It  was  pertly 
done,  and  the  blood  burned  in  Herrick's  face. 

"  What  do  you  mean  by  that  ?  "  he  cried. 

"  Well,  shall  we  go  back  to  the  house  ? "  said 
Attwater.     "  Our  guests  will  soon  be  due." 

Herrick  stood  his  ground  a  moment,  with  clenched 
fists  and  teeth ;  and  as  he  so  stood,  the  fact  of  his 
errand  there  slowly  swung  clear  in  front  of  him,  like 
the  moon  out  of  clouds.  He  had  come  to  lure  that 
man  on  board;  he  was  failing,  even  if  it  could  be 
said  that  he  had  tried ;  he  was  sure  to  fail  now,  and 
knew  it,  and  knew  it  was  better  so.  And  what  was 
to  be  next  ? 

With  a  groan  he  turned  to  follow  his  host,  who 
was  standing  with  a  polite  smile,  and  instantly,  and 
somewhat  obsequiously,  led  the  way  into  the  now 
darkened  colonnade  of  palms.  There  they  went  in 
silence;  the  earth  gave  up  richly  of  her  perfume, 
the  air  tasted  warm  and  aromatic  in  the  nostrils, 
and,  from  a  great  way  forward  in  the  wood,  the 
brightness  of  lights  and  fire  marked  out  the  house 
of  Attwater. 

Herrick  meanwhile  revolved  and  resisted  an  im- 
mense temptation,  to  go  up,  to  touch  him  on  the 
arm,  and  breathe  a  word  in  his  ear :  "  Beware,  they 
are  going  to  murder  you."  There  would  be  one 
life  saved ;  but  what  of  the  two  others  ?  The 
three  lives  went  up  and  down  before  him  like 
buckets  in  a  well,  or  like  the  scales  of  balances. 
It  had  come  to  a  choice,  and  one  that  must  be 
speedy.   For  certain  invaluable  minutes  the  wheels 


138  THE   EBB   TIDE. 

of  life  ran  before  him,  and  he  could  still  divert  them 
with  a  touch  to  the  one  side  or  the  other;  still 
choose  who  was  to  live  and  who  was  to  die.  He 
considered  the  men.  Attwater  intrigued,  puzzled, 
dazzled,  enchanted,  and  revolted  him.  Alive,  he 
seemed  but  a  doubtful  good;  and  the  thought 
of  him  lying  dead  was  so  unwelcome  that  it  pur- 
sued him,  like  a  vision,  with  every  circumstance  of 
color  and  sound.  Incessantly  he  had  before  him 
the  image  of  that  great  mass  of  man,  stricken  down, 
in  varying  attitudes  and  with  varying  wounds, — 
fallen  prone,  fallen  supine,  fallen  on  his  side,  or 
clinging  to  a  doorpost,  with  the  changing  face  and 
the  relaxing  fingers  of  the  death  agony.  He  heard 
the  click  of  the  trigger,  the  thud  of  the  ball,  the  cry 
of  the  victim;  he  saw  the  blood  flow.  And  this 
building-up  of  circumstance  was  like  a  consecra- 
tion of  the  man,  till  he  seemed  to  walk  in  sacrificial 
fillets.  Next  he  considered  Davis,  with  his  thick- 
fingered,  coarse-grained,  oat-bread  commonness  of 
nature  ;  his  indomitable  valor  and  mirth  in  the  old 
days  of  their  starvation ;  the  endearing  blend  of  his 
faults  and  virtues ;  the  sudden  shining  forth  of  a 
tenderness  that  lay  too  deep  for  tears ;  his  chil- 
dren, —  Ada  and  her  bowel  complaint,  and  Ada's 
doll.  No,  death  could  not  be  suffered  to  ap- 
proach that  head,  even  in  fancy.  With  a  general 
heat  and  a  bracing  of  his  muscles,  it  was 
borne  in  on  Herrick  that  Ada's  father  would 
find  in  him  a  son  to  the  death.  And  even  Huish 
shared  a  little  in  that  sacredness;   by  the  tacit 


BETTER  ACQUAINTANCE.  1 39 

adoption  of  daily  life  they  were  become  brothers  ; 
there  was  an  implied  bond  of  loyalty  in  their  co- 
habitation of  the  ship  and  of  their  past  miseries,  to 
which  Herrick  must  be  a  little  true  or  wholly  dis- 
honored. Horror  of  sudden  death  for  horror  of 
sudden  death,  there  was  here  no  hesitation  pos- 
sible :  it  must  be  Attwater.  And  no  sooner  was 
the  thought  formed  (which  was  a  sentence)  than 
the  whole  mind  of  the  man  ran  in  a  panic  to  the 
other  side ;  and  when  he  looked  within  himself, 
he  was  aware  only  of  turbulence  and  inarticulate 
outcry. 

In  all  this  there  was  no  thought  of  Robert  Her- 
rick. He  had  complied  with  the  ebb-tide  in  man's 
affairs,  and  the  tide  had  carried  him  away;  he 
heard  already  the  roaring  of  the  maelstrom  that 
must  hurry  him  under.  And  in  his  bedevilled  and 
dishonored  soul  there  was  no  thought  of  self. 

For  how  long  he  walked  silent  by  his  companion, 
Herrick  had  no  guess.  The  clouds  rolled  suddenly 
away;  the  orgasm  was  over;  he  found  himself 
placid  with  the  placidity  of  despair ;  there  returned 
to  him  the  power  of  commonplace  speech  :  and  he 
heard  with  surprise  his  own  voice  say :  "  What  a 
lovely  evening !  " 

"  Is  it  not  ?  "  said  Attwater.  "  Yes,  the  evenings 
here  would  be  very  pleasant  if  one  had  anything  to 
do.     By  day,  of  course,  one  can  shoot." 

"You  shoot?  "  asked  Herrick. 

"  Yes,  I  am  what  you  would  call  a  fine  shot," 
said  Attwater.     "It  is  faith;  I   believe  my  balls 


I40  THE   EBB   TIDE. 

will  go  true ;  if  I  were  to  miss  once,  it  would  spoil 
me  for  nine  months." 

"  You  never  miss,  then  ?  "  said  Herrick. 

"  Not  unless  I  mean  to,"  said  Attwater.  "  But 
to  miss  nicely  is  the  art.  There  was  an  old  king 
one  knew  in  the  Western  Islands,  who  used  to 
empty  a  Winchester  all  round  a  man,  and  stir  his 
hair  or  nick  a  rag  out  of  his  clothes  with  every  ball 
except  the  last ;  and  that  went  plump  between  the 
eyes.     It  was  pretty  practice." 

"  You  could  do  that  ?  "  asked  Herrick,  with  a 
sudden  chill. 

"  Oh,  I  can  do  anything,"  returned  the  other. 
"You  do  not  understand;  what  must  be,  must." 

They  were  now  come  near  to  the  back  part  of 
the  house.  One  of  the  men  was  engaged  about 
the  cooking-fire,  which  burned  with  the  clear, 
fierce,  essential  radiance  of  cocoanut  shells.  A 
fragrance  of  strange  meats  was  in  the  air.  All 
round  in  the  verandas  lamps  were  lighted,  so  that 
the  place  shone  abroad  in  the  dusk  of  the  trees 
with  many  complicated  patterns  of  shadow. 

"  Come  and  wash  your  hands,"  said  Attwater, 
and  led  the  way  into  a  clean,  matted  room  with  a 
cot-bed,  a  safe,  a  shelf  or  two  of  books  in  a  glazed 
case,  and  an  iron  washing-stand.  Presently  he 
cried  in  the  native  tongue,  and  there  appeared  for 
a  moment  in  the  doorway  a  plump  and  pretty  young 
woman  with  a  clean  towel. 

"  Hullo  !  "  cried  Herrick,  who  now  saw  for  the 
first  time  the  fourth  survivor  of  the  pestilence,  and 


BETTER   ACQUAINTANCE.  I4I 

was  startled  by  the  recollection  of  the  captain's 
orders. 

"  Yes,"  said  Attwater,  "  the  whole  colony  lives 
about  the  house, — what 's  left  of  it.  We  are  all 
afraid  of  devils,  if  you  please,  and  Taniera  and  she 
sleep  in  the  front  parlor,  and  the  other  boy  on  the 
veranda." 

"  She  is  pretty,"  said  Herrick. 

"  Too  pretty,"  said  Attwater.  "  That  was  why  I 
had  her  married.  A  man  never  knows  when  he 
may  be  inclined  to  be  a  fool  about  women  :  so 
when  we  were  left  alone,  I  had  the  pair  of  them  to 
the  chapel  and  performed  the  ceremony.  She  made 
a  lot  of  fuss.  I  do  not  take  at  all  the  romantic  views 
of  marriage,"  he  explained. 

"  And  that  strikes  you  as  a  safeguard  ?  "  asked 
Herrick,  with  amazement. 

"  Certainly.  I  am  a  plain  man,  and  very  literal. 
Whom  God  hath  Joined  together,  are  the  words,  I 
fancy.  So  one  married  them,  and  respects  the 
marriage,"  said  Attwater. 

"  Ah  !  "  said  Herrick. 

"  You  see,  I  may  look  to  make  an  excellent  mar- 
riage when  I  go  home,"  began  Attwater,  confiden- 
tially. "  I  am  rich.  This  safe  alone  "  —  laying  his 
hand  upon  it  —  "  will  be  a  moderate  fortune  when 
I  have  the  time  to  place  the  pearls  upon  the  mar- 
ket. Here  are  ten  years'  accumulation  from  a 
lagoon  where  I  have  had  as  many  as  ten  divers 
going  all  day  long;  and  I  went  farther  than  people 
usually  do  in  these  waters,  for  I  rotted  a  lot  of 


142  THE   EBB   TIDE. 

shell,  and  did  splendidly.  Would  you  like  to  see 
them?" 

This  confirmation  of  the  captain's  guess  hit 
Herrick  hard,  and  he  contained  himself  with  diffi- 
culty. "  No,  thank  you,  I  think  not,"  said  he.  "  I 
do  not  care  for  pearls.  I  am  very  indifferent  to  all 
these  —  " 

"  Gewgaws  ?  "  suggested  Attwater.  "  And  yet  I 
believe  you  ought  to  cast  an  eye  on  my  collection, 
which  is  really  unique,  and  which  —  Oh  !  it  is  the 
case  with  all  of  us  and  everything  about  us !  — 
hangs  by  a  hair.  To-day  it  groweth  up  and  flour- 
isheth  ;  to-morrow  it  is  cut  down  and  cast  into  the 
oven.  To-day  it  is  here  and  together  in  this  safe : 
to-morrow,  to-night,  it  may  be  scattered.  Thou 
fool !  this  night  thy  soul  shall  be  required  of  thee." 

"  I  do  not  understand  you,"  said  Herrick. 

"Not?"  said  Attwater. 

"  You  seem  to  speak  in  riddles,"  said  Herrick, 
unsteadily.  "  I  do  not  understand  what  manner  of 
man  you  are,  nor  what  you  are  driving  at." 

Attwater  stood  with  his  hands  upon  his  hips, 
and  his  head  bent  forward.  "  I  am  a  fatalist,"  he 
replied,  "  and  just  now  (if  you  insist  on  it)  an  ex- 
perimentalist. Talking  of  which,  by  the  by,  who 
painted  out  the  schooner's  name  ?  "  he  said,  with 
mocking  softness.  "  Because,  do  you  know?  one 
thinks  it  should  be  done  again.  It  can  still  be 
partly  read ;  and  whatever  is  worth  doing,  is  surely 
worth  doing  well.  You  think  with  me  ?  That  is 
so  nice.    Well,  shall  we  step  on  the  veranda  ?    I 


BETTER   ACQUAINTANCE.  1 43 

have  a  dry  sherry  that  I  would  like  your  opinion 
of." 

Herrick  followed  him  forth  to  where,  under  the 
light  of  the  hanging  lamps,  the  table  shone  with 
napery  and  crystal ;  followed  him  as  the  criminal 
goes  with  the  hangman,  or  the  sheep  with  the 
butcher;  took  the  sherry  mechanically,  drank  it, 
and  spoke  mechanical  words  of  praise.  The  object 
of  his  terror  had  become  suddenly  inverted ;  till 
then  he  had  seen  Attwater  trussed  and  gagged,  a 
helpless  victim,  and  had  longed  to  run  in  and  save 
him ;  he  saw  him  now  tower  up  mysterious  and 
menacing,  the  angel  of  the  Lord's  wrath,  armed 
with  knowledge,  and  threatening  judgment.  He 
set  down  his  glass  again,  and  was  surprised  to  see 
it  empty. 

"  You  go  always  armed  ?  "  he  said,  and  the  next 
moment  could  have  plucked  his  tongue  out. 

"  Always,"  said  Attwater.  "  I  have  been  through 
a  mutiny  here ;  that  was  one  of  my  incidents  of 
missionary  life." 

And  just  then  the  sound  of  voices  reached  them, 
and  looking  forth  from  the  veranda,  they  saw 
Huish  and  the  captain  drawing  near. 


CHAPTER   IX. 

THE  DINNER-PARTY. 

1  HEY  sat  down  to  an  island  dinner  remarkable 
for  its  variety  and  excellence;  turtle  soup  and 
steak,  fish,  fowls,  a  sucking-pig,  a  cocoanut  salad, 
and  sprouting  cocoanut  roasted  for  dessert.  Not  a 
tin  had  been  opened;  and  save  for  the  oil  and 
vinegar  in  the  salad,  and  some  green  spears  of 
onion  which  Attwater  cultivated  and  plucked  with 
his  own  hand,  not  even  the  condiments  were  Euro- 
pean. Sherry,  hock,  and  claret  succeeded  each 
other,  and  the  '  Farallone '  champagne  brought  up 
the  rear  with  the  dessert. 

It  was  plain  that,  like  so  many  of  the  extremely 
religious  in  the  days  before  teetotalism,  Attwater 
had  a  dash  of  the  epicure.  For  such  characters  it 
is  softening  to  eat  well ;  doubly  so  to  have  designed 
and  had  prepared  an  excellent  meal  for  others; 
and  the  manners  of  their  host  were  agreeably  molli- 
fied in  consequence.  A  cat  of  huge  growth  sat  on 
his  shoulder  purring,  and  occasionally,  with  a  deft 
paw,  captured  a  morsel  in  the  air.  To  a  cat  he 
might  be  likened  himself,  as  he  lolled  at  the  head 
of   his  table,  dealing  out  attentions  and  innuen- 


THE   DINNER-PARTY.  145 

does,  and  using  the  velvet  and  the  claw  indiffer- 
ently. And  both  Huish  and  the  captain  fell  pro- 
gressively under  the  charm  of  his  hospitable 
freedom. 

Over  the  third  guest,  the  incidents  of  the  dinner 
may  be  said  to  have  passed  for  long  unheeded. 
Herrick  accepted  all  that  was  offered  him,  ate  and 
drank  without  tasting,  and  heard  without  compre- 
hension. His  mind  was  singly  occupied  in  con- 
templating the  horror  of  the  circumstance  in  which 
he  sat.  What  Attwater  knew,  what  the  captain 
designed,  from  which  side  treachery  was  to  be  first 
expected,  these  were  the  ground  of  his  thoughts. 
There  were  times  when  he  longed  to  throw  down 
the  table  and  flee  into  the  night.  And  even  that 
was  debarred  him.  To  do  anything,  to  say  any- 
thing, to  move  at  all,  were  only  to  precipitate  the 
barbarous  tragedy ;  and  he  sat  spellbound,  eating 
with  white  lips.  Two  of  his  companions  observed 
him  narrowly;  Attwater  with  raking,  side-long 
glances  that  did  not  interrupt  his  talk,  the  captain 
with  a  heavy  and  anxious  consideration. 

"  Well,  I  must  say  this  sherry  is  a  really  prime 
article,"  said  Huish.  *"0w  much  does  it  stand 
you  in,  if  it 's  a  fair  question  ?  " 

"  A  hundred  and  twelve  shillings  in  London,  and 
the  freight  to  Valparaiso  and  on  again,"  said  Att- 
water.    "  It  strikes  one  as  really  not  a  bad  fluid." 

"  A  'undred  and  twelve  ! "  murmured  tlie  clerk, 
relishing  the  wine  and  the  figures  in  a  common 
ecstasy.     "  Oh  my  !  " 

10 


146  THE   EBB    TIDE. 

"  So  glad  you  like  it,"  said  Attwater.  "  Help 
yourself,  Mr.  Whish,  and  keep  the  bottle  by  you." 

"My  friend's  name  is  Huish  and  not  Whish, 
sir,"  said  the  captain,  with  a  flush. 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,  I  am  sure.  Huish  and  not 
Whish  —  certainly,"  said  Attwater.  "  I  was  about 
to  say  that  I  have  still  eight  dozen,"  he  added,  fix- 
ing the  captain  with  his  eye. 

"  Eight  dozen  what  ?  "  said  Davis. 

"  Sherry,"  was  the  reply.  "  Eight  dozen  excel- 
lent sherry.  Why,  it  seems  almost  worth  it  in  it- 
self, to  a  man  fond  of  wine." 

The  ambiguous  words  struck  home  to  guilty  con- 
sciences, and  Huish  and  the  captain  sat  up  in  their 
places  and  regarded  him  with  a  scare. 

"  Worth  what  ?  '  said  Davis. 

"  A  hundred  and  twelve  shillings,"  replied  Att- 
water. 

The  captain  breathed  hard  for  a  moment.  He 
reached  out  far  and  wide  to  find  any  coherency  in 
these  remarks ;  then,  with  a  great  effort,  changed 
the  subject. 

"  I  allow  we  are  about  the  first  white  men  upon 
this  island,  sir,"  said  he. 

Attwater  followed  him  at  once,  and  with  entire 
gravity,  to  the  new  ground.  "  Myself  and  Dr.  Sy- 
monds  excepted,  I  should  say  the  only  ones,"  he 
returned.  "  And  yet  who  can  tell  ?  In  the  course 
of  the  ages  some  one  may  have  lived  here,  and  we 
sometimes  think  that  some  one  must.  The  cocoa 
palms  grow  all  round  the  island,  which  is  scarce 


THE   DINNER-PARTY.  147 

like  Nature's  planting.  We  found,  besides,  when 
we  landed,  an  unmistakable  cairn  upon  the  beach ; 
use  unknown,  but  probably  erected  in  the  hope  of 
gratifying  some  mumbo-jumbo  whose  very  name  is 
forgotten,  by  some  thick-witted  gentry  whose  very 
bones  are  lost.  Then  the  island  (witness  the  '  Di- 
rectory ')  has  been  twice  reported ;  and  since  my 
tenancy  we  have  had  two  wrecks,  both  derelict. 
The  rest  is  conjecture." 

"  Dr.  Symonds  is  your  partner,  I  guess?"  said 
Davis. 

"  A  dear  fellow,  Symonds  1  How  he  would  regret 
it,  if  he  knew  you  had  been  here,"  said  Attwater. 

"  'E  's  on  the  ♦  Trinity  'All,'  ain't  he  ?  "  asked 
Huish. 

";And  if  you  could  tell  me  where  the  *  Trinity 
'All '  was,  you  would  confer  a  favor,  Mr.  Whish  !  " 
was  the  reply. 

"  I  suppose  she  has  a  native  crew  ?  "  said  Davis. 

"  Since  the  secret  has  been  kept  ten  years,  one 
would  suppose  she  had,"  replied  Attwater. 

"  Well,  now,  see  'ere  !  "  said  Huish.  "  You 
have  everything  about  you  in  no  end  style,  and  no 
mistake,  but  I  tell  you  it  would  n't  do  for  me.  Too 
much  of  •  the  old  rustic  bridge  by  the  mill ; '  too 
retired  by  'alf.     Give  me  the  sound  of  Bow  Bells  !  " 

"  You  must  not  think  it  was  always  so,"  replied 
Attwater.  "  This  was  once  a  busy  shore,  although 
now,  hark !  you  can  hear  the  solitude.  I  find  it 
stimulating.  And  talking  of  the  sound  of  bells, 
kindly  follow  a  little  experiment  of  mine  in  silence." 


148  THE   EBB   TIDE. 

There  was  a  silver  bell  at  his  right  hand  to  call  the 
servants ;  he  made  them  a  sign  to  stand  still,  struck 
the  bell  with  force,  and  leaned  eagerly  forward. 
The  note  rose  clear  and  strong ;  it  rang  out  clear 
and  far  into  the  night  and  over  the  deserted  island  ; 
it  died  into  the  distance  until  there  only  lingered 
in  the  porches  of  the  ear  a  vibration  that  was 
sound  no  longer.  "  Empty  houses,  empty  sea,  soli- 
tary beaches  !  "  said  Attwater.  "  And  yet  God 
hears  the  bell !  And  yet  we  sit  in  this  veranda, 
on  a  lighted  stage,  with  all  heaven  for  spectators ! 
And  you  call  that  solitude  ?  " 

There  followed  a  bar  of  silence,  during  which 
the  captain  sat  mesmerized. 

Then  Attwater  laughed  softly.  "  These  are  the 
diversions  of  a  lonely  man,"  he  resumed,  "  and 
possibly  not  in  good  taste.  One  tells  one's  self 
these  little  fairy  tales  for  company.  If  there  should 
happen  to  be  anything  in  folk-lore,  Mr.  Hay?  But 
here  comes  the  claret.  One  does  not  offer  you 
Lafitte,  captain,  because  I  believe  it  is  all  sold  to 
the  railroad  dining-cars  in  your  great  country : 
but  this  Brane-mouton  is  of  a  good  year,  and  Mr. 
Whish  will  give  me  news  of  it." 

"  That 's  a  queer  idea  of  yours  !  "  cried  the  cap- 
tain, bursting  with  a  sigh  from  the  spell  that  had 
bound  him.  "  So  you  mean  to  tell  me,  now,  that 
you  sit  here  evenings  and  ring  up  G  —  well,  ring 
on  the  angels  —  by  yourself  ?  " 

"  As  a  matter  of  historic  fact,  and  since  you  put 
it  directly,  one  does  not,"  said  Attwater.     "  Why 


THE   DINNER-PARTY.  t^g 

ring  a  bell,  when  there  flows  out  from  one's  self 
and  everything  about  one  a  far  more  momentous 
silence  ?  The  least  beat  of  my  heart,  and  the  least 
thought  in  my  mind,  echoing  into  eternity  forever 
and  forever  and  forever." 

"  Oh,  look  'ere,"  said  Huish,  "  turn  down  the 
lights  at  once,  and  the  Band  of  'Ope  will  oblige  ! 
This  ain't  a  spiritual  stance." 

"No  folk-lore  about  Mr.  Whish — I  beg  your 
pardon,  captain  ;  Huish,  not  Whish,  of  course," 
said  Attwater. 

As  the  boy  was  filling  Huish's  glass,  the  bottle 
escaped  from  his  hand  and  was  shattered,  and  the 
wine  spilt  on  the  veranda  floor.  Instant  grimness 
as  of  death  appeared  in  the  face  of  Attwater ;  he 
smote  the  bell  imperiously,  and  the  two  brown 
natives  fell  into  the  attitude  of  attention,  and  stood 
mute  and  trembling.  There  was  a  moment  of  silence 
and  hard  looks ;  then  followed  a  few  savage  words 
in  the  native ;  and,  upon  a  gesture  of  dismissal,  the 
service  proceeded  as  before. 

None  of  the  party  had  as  yet  observed  upon  the 
excellent  bearing  of  the  two  men.  They  were 
dark,  undersized,  and  well  set  up ;  stepped  softly, 
waited  deftly,  brought  on  the  wines  and  dishes  at 
a  look,  and  their  eyes  attended  studiously  on  their 
master. 

"  Where  do  you  get  your  labor  from,  anyway  ?  " 
asked  Davis. 

"  Ah,  where  not  ?  "  answered  Attwater. 

"  Not  much  of  a  soft  job,  I  suppose  ?  "  said  the 
captain. 


150  THE   EBB   TIDE. 

"  If  you  will  tell  me  where  getting  labor  is,"  said 
Attwater,  with  a  shrug.  "  And,  of  course,  in  our 
case,  as  we  could  name  no  destination,  we  had  to 
go  far  and  wide,  and  do  the  best  we  could.  We 
have  gone  as  far  west  as  the  Kingsmills,  and  as  far 
south  as  Rapa-iti.  Pity  Symonds  isn't  here  !  He 
is  full  of  yarns.  That  was  his  part,  to  collect  them. 
Then  began  mine,  which  was  the  educational." 

"You  mean  to  run  them  ?  "  said  Davis. 

"  Ay,  to  run  them,"  said  Attwater. 

"Wait  a  bit,"  said  Davis,  "  I  'm  out  of  my  depth. 
How  was  this?  Do  you  mean  to  say  you  did  it 
single-handed  ?  " 

"  One  did  it  single-handed,"  said  Attwater,  "  be- 
cause there  was  nobody  to  help  one." 

"  By  God,  but  you  must  be  a  holy  terror !  "  cried 
the  captain,  in  a  glow  of  admiration. 

"  One  does  one's  best,"  said  Attwater. 

"Well,  now!"  said  Davis,  "I  have  seen  a  lot 
of  driving  in  my  time,  and  been  counted  a  good 
driver  myself ;  I  fought  my  way,  third  mate,  round 
the  Cape  Horn  with  a  push  of  packet-rats  that 
would  have  turned  the  Devil  out  of  hell  and  shut 
the  door  on  him;  and,  I  tell  you,  this  racket  of 
Mr.  Attwater's  takes  the  cake.  In  a  ship,  —  why, 
there  ain't  nothing  to  it !  You  Ve  got  the  law  with 
you,  that's  what  does  it.  But  put  me  down  on 
this  blame'  beach,  alone,  with  nothing  but  a  whip 
and  a  mouthful  of  bad  words,  and  ask  me  to  —  no, 
sir  !  it 's  not  good  enough  !  I  have  n't  got  the 
sand  for  that!"  cried  Davis.     "It's  the  law  be- 


THE   DINNER-PARTY.  I5I 

hind,"  he  added;  "it's  the  law  does  it,  every 
time ! " 

"The  beak  ain't  as  black  as  he's  sometimes 
pynted,"  observed  Huish,  humorously. 

"Well,  one  got  the  law  after  a  fashion,"  said 
Attwater.  "  One  had  to  be  a  number  of  things. 
It  was  sometimes  rather  a  bore." 

"  I  should  smile !  "  said  Davis.  "  Rather  lively, 
I  should  think." 

"  I  dare  say  we  mean  the  same  thing,"  said  Att- 
water. "  However,  one  way  or  another,  one  got  it 
knocked  into  their  heads  that  they  must  work,  and 
they  did —  until  the  Lord  took  them." 

"  'Ope  you  made  'em  jump,"  said  Huish. 

"When  it  was  necessary,  Mr.  Whish,  I  made 
them  jump,"  said  Attwater.  \, 

"  You  bet  you  did  ! "  cried  the  captain.  He  was 
a  good  deal  flushed,  but  not  so  much  with  wine  as 
admiration ;  and  his  eyes  drank  in  the  huge  pro- 
portions of  the  other  with  delight.  "  You  bet  you 
did,  and  you  bet  that  I  can  see  you  doing  it.  By 
God,  you  're  a  man ;  and  you  can  say  I  said 
so!" 

"  Too  good  of  you,  I  'm  sure,"  said  Attwater. 

"  Did  you  —  did  you  ever  have  crime  here  ?  " 
asked  Herrick,  breaking  his  silence  with  a  plan- 
gent voice. 

"  Yes,"  said  Attwater,  "  we  did." 

"  And  how  did  you  handle  that,  sir  ? "  cried  the 
eager  captain. 

*'Well,  you  see,  it  was  a  queer  case,"  replied 


152  THE   EBB   TIDE. 

Attwater.  "  It  was  a  case  that  would  have  puzzled 
Solomon.     Shall  I  tell  it  you  ?    Yes  ?  " 

The  captain  rapturously  accepted. 

"  Well,"  drawled  Attwater,  "  here  is  what  it  was. 
I  dare  say  you  know  two  types  of  natives,  which 
may  be  called  the  obsequious  and  the  sullen? 
Well,  one  had  them,  —  the  types  themselves,  —  de- 
tected in  the  fact;  and  one  had  them  together. 
Obsequiousness  ran  out  of  the  first,  like  wine  out 
of  a  bottle;  sullenness  congested  in  the  second. 
Obsequiousness  was  all  smiles ;  he  ran  to  catch 
your  eye ;  he  loved  to  gabble ;  and  he  had  about  a 
dozen  words  of  beach  English,  and  an  eighth  of  an 
inch  veneer  of  Christianity.  Sullens  was  industri- 
ous; a  big,  down-looking  bee.  When  he  was 
spoken  to,  he  answered  with  a  black  look  and  a 
shrug  of  one  shoulder,  but  the  thing  would  be 
done.  I  don't  give  him  to  you  for  a  model  of  man- 
ners; there  was  nothing  showy  about  Sullens, 
but  he  was  strong  and  steady,  and  ungraciously 
obedient.  Now,  Sullens  got  into  trouble ;  no  mat- 
ter how ;  the  regulations  of  the  place  were  broken, 
and  he  was  punished  accordingly  —  without  effect. 
So  the  next  day,  and  the  next,  and  the  day  after,  till 
I  began  to  be  weary  of  the  business,  and  Sullens 
(I  am  afraid)  particularly  so.  There  came  a  day 
when  he  was  in  fault  again,  for  perhaps  the  thirtieth 
time;  and  he  rolled  a  dull  eye  upon  me,  with  a 
spark  in  it  and  appeared  to  be  about  to  speak. 
Now,  the  regulations  of  the  place  are  formal  upon 
one  point:  we  allow  no  explanations.     None  are 


THE   DINNER-PARTY. 


153 


received,  none  allowed  to  be  offered.  So  one 
stopped  him  instantly,  but  made  a  note  of  the 
circumstance.  The  next  day  he  was  gone  from 
the  settlement.  There  could  be  nothing  more 
annoying  ;  if  the  labor  took  to  running  away,  the 
fishery  was  wrecked.  There  are  sixty  miles  of 
this  island,  you  see,  all  in  length,  like  the  Queen's 
Highway  ;  the  idea  of  pursuit  in  such  a  place  was 
a  piece  of  single-minded  childishness,  which  one 
did  not  entertain.  Two  days  later  I  made  a  dis- 
covery. It  came  in  upon  me  with  a  flash  that 
Sullens  had  been  unjustly  punished  from  beginning 
to  end,  and  the  real  culprit  throughout  had  been 
Obsequiousness.  The  native  who  talks,  like  the 
woman  who  hesitates,  is  lost.  You  set  him  talking 
and  lying,  and  he  talks  and  lies,  and  watches  your 
face  to  see  if  he  has  pleased  you,  till  at  last  out 
comes  the  truth !  It  came  out  of  Obsequiousness 
in  the  regular  course.  I  said  nothing  to  him ;  I 
dismissed  him  ;  and,  late  as  it  was,  for  it  was  already 
night,  set  ofE  to  look  for  Sullens.  I  had  not  far  to 
go;  about  two  hundred  yards  up  the  island  the 
moon  showed  him  to  me.  He  was  hanging  in  a 
cocoa  palm  —  I  'm  not  botanist  enough  to  tell  you 
how  —  but  it 's  the  way,  in  nine  cases  out  of  ten, 
these  natives  commit  suicide.  His  tongue  was  out, 
poor  devil,  and  the  birds  had  got  at  him.  I  spare 
you  details ;  he  was  an  ugly  sight !  I  gave  the 
business  six  good  hours  of  thinking  in  this  veranda. 
My  justice  had  been  made  a  fool  of.  I  don't  sup- 
pose that  I  was  ever  angrier.     Next  day  I  had  the 


154  THE   EBB   TIDE. 

conch  sounded  and  all  hands  out  before  sunrise. 
One  took  one's  gun  and  led  the  way  with  Obse- 
quiousness. He  was  very  talkative ;  the  beggar 
supposed  that  all  was  right,  now  he  had  confessed. 
In  the  old  schoolboy  phrase,  he  was  plainly  '  suck- 
ing up '  to  me ;  full  of  protestations  of  good  will 
and  good  behavior,  to  which  one  answered  one 
really  can't  remember  what.  Presently  the  tree 
came  in  sight,  and  the  hanged  man.  They  all 
burst  out  lamenting  for  their  comrade  in  the  island 
way,  and  Obsequiousness  was  the  loudest  of  the 
mourners.  He  was  quite  genuine ;  a  noxious 
creature,  without  any  consciousness  of  guilt. 
Well,  presently  —  to  make  a  long  story  short  — 
one  told  him  to  go  up  the  tree.  He  stared  a 
bit,  looked  at  one  with  a  trouble  in  his  eye,  and 
had  rather  a  sickly  smile,  but  went.  He  was 
obedient  to  the  last ;  he  had  all  the  pretty  virtues, 
but  the  truth  was  not  in  him.  So  soon  as  he  was 
up,  he  looked  down,  and  there  was  the  rifle  cover- 
ing him;  and  at  that  he  gave  a  whimper  like  a  dog. 
You  could  hear  a  pin  drop  ;  no  more  keening  now. 
There  they  all  crouched  upon  the  ground  with 
bulging  eyes;  there  was  he  in  the  tree-top,  the 
color  of  lead ;  and  between  was  the  dead  man, 
dancing  a  bit  in  the  air.  He  was  obedient  to 
the  last,  recited  his  crime,  recommended  his  soul 
to  God.     And  then—" 

Attwater  paused,  and  Herrick,  who  had  been 
listening  attentively,  made  a  convulsive  movement 
which  upset  his  glass. 


THE  DINNER-PARTY.  1 55 

"  And  then  ?  "  said  the  breathless  captain. 

"  Shot,"  said  Attwater.  "  They  came  to  ground 
together." 

Herrick  sprang  to  his  feet  with  a  shriek  and  an 
insensate  gesture. 

"It  was  a  murder,"  he  screamed.  "A  cold- 
hearted,  bloody-minded  murder!  You  monstrous 
being  !  Murderer  and  hypocrite  !  Murderer  and 
hypocrite  !  Murderer  and  hypocrite  !  "  he  repeated, 
and  his  tongue  stumbled  among  the  words. 

The  captain  was  by  him  in  a  moment.  "  Her- 
rick !  "  he  cried,  "  behave  yourself !  Here,  don't 
be  a  blame'  fool  ! " 

Herrick  struggled  in  his  embrace  like  a  frantic 
child,  and  suddenly  bowing  his  face  in  his  hands, 
choked  into  a  sob,  the  first  of  many,  which  now 
convulsed  his  body  silently,  and  now  jerked  from 
him  indescribable  and  meaningless  sounds. 

"Your  friend  appears  over-excited,"  remarked 
Attwater,  sitting  unmoved,  but  all  alert,  at  table. 

"  It  must  be  the  wine,"  replied  the  captain. 
"  He  ain't  no  drinking  man,  you  see.  I  —  I  think 
I  '11  take  him  away.  A  walk  '11  sober  him  up,  I 
guess." 

He  led  him  without  resistance  out  of  the  veranda 
and  into  the  night,  in  which  they  soon  melted;  but 
still  for  some  time,  as  they  drew  away,  his  comfort- 
able voice  was  to  be  heard  soothing  and  remon- 
strating, and  Herrick  answering,  at  intervals,  with 
the  mechanical  noises  of  hysteria. 

"  'E  's  like  a  bloomin'  poultry  yard,"  observed 


156  THE   EBB   TIDE. 

Huish,  helping  himself  to  wine  (of  which  he  spilled 
a  good  deal)  with  gentlemanly  ease.  "A  man 
should  learn  to  beyave  at  table,"  he  added. 

"Rather  bad  form,  is  it  not?"  said  Attwater. 
"Well,  well,  we  are  left  tete-cL-tUe.  A  glass  of 
wine  with  you,  Mr.  Whish !  " 


CHAPTER  X. 


THE     OPEN     DOOR. 


1  HE  captain  and  Herrick  meanwhile  turned 
their  backs  upon  the  lights  in  Attwater's  veranda, 
and  took  a  direction  towards  the  pier  and  the 
beach  of  the  lagoon. 

The  isle,  at  this  hour,  with  its  smooth  floor  of 
sand,  the  pillared  roof  overhead,  and  the  prevalent 
illumination  of  the  lamps,  wore  an  air  of  unreality, 
like  a  deserted  theatre  or  a  public  garden  at  mid- 
night. A  man  looked  about  him  for  the  statues 
and  tables.  Not  the  least  air  of  wind  was  stirring 
among  the  palms,  and  the  silence  was  emphasized 
by  the  continuous  clamor  of  the  surf  from  the  sea- 
shore, as  it  might  be  of  traffic  in  the  next  street. 

Still  talking,  still  soothing  him,  the  captain  hur- 
ried his  patient  on,  brought  him  at  last  to  the 
lagoon  side,  and,  leading  him  down  the  beach, 
laved  his  head  and  face  with  the  tepid  water.  The 
paroxysm  gradually  subsided,  the  sobs  became  less 
convulsive,  and  then  ceased.  By  an  odd  but  not 
quite  unnatural  conjunction,  the  captain's  soothing 
current  of  talk  died  away  at  the  same  time,  and  by 
proportional  steps,  and  the  pair  remained  sunk  in 


158  THE   EBB   TIDE. 

silence.  The  lagoon  broke  at  their  feet  in  petty 
wavelets,  and  with  a  sound  as  delicate  as  a  whis- 
per ;  stars  of  all  degrees  looked  down  on  their  own 
images  in  the  vast  mirror;  and  the  more  angry 
color  of  the  *  Farallone's '  riding-lamp  burned  in  the 
middle  distance.  For  long  they  continued  to  gaze 
on  the  scene  before  them,  and  hearken  anxiously 
to  the  rustle  and  tinkle  of  that  miniature  surf,  or 
the  more  distant  and  loud  reverberations  from  the 
outer  coast.  For  long,  speech  was  denied  them ; 
and  when  the  words  came  at  last,  they  came  to 
both  simultaneously. 

"  Say,  Herrick  — "  the  captain  was  beginning. 

But  Herrick,  turning  swiftly  towards  his  com- 
panion, beat  him  down  with  the  eager  cry  :  "  Let 's 
up  anchor,  captain,  and  to  sea !  " 

"  Where  to,  my  son  ? "  said  the  captain.  "  Up 
anchor 's  easy  saying.     But  where  to  ?  " 

*^  To  sea,"  responded  Herrick.  "  The  sea  's  big 
enough !  To  sea,  away  from  this  dreadful  island 
and  that —  oh  —  that  sinister  man  !  " 

"  Oh,  we  '11  see  about  that !  "  said  Davis.  "  You 
brace  up,  and  we  '11  see  about  that.  You  're  all 
run  down,  that 's  what 's  wrong  with  you.  You  're 
all  nerves* like  Jemimar.  You've  got  to  brace  up 
good,  and  be  yourself  again,  and  then  we  '11  talk." 

"  To  sea,"  reiterated  Herrick ;  "  to  sea  to-night 
—  now  —  this  moment ! " 

"  It  can't  be,  my  son,"  rephed  the  captain  firmly. 
"  No  ship  of  mine  puts  to  sea  without  provisions  ; 
you  can  take  that  for  settled." 


THE   OPEN   DOOR. 


159 


"  You  don't  seem  to  understand,"  said  Herrick. 
"  The  whole  thing  is  over,  I  tell  you.  There  is 
nothing  to  do  here,  when  he  knows  all.  That 
man  there  with  the  cat  knows  all.  Can't  you  take 
it  in?" 

"  All  what  ?  "  asked  the  captain,  visibly  discom- 
posed. "  Why,  he  received  us  like  a  perfect  gen- 
tleman, and  treated  us  real  handsome  until  you 
began  with  your  foolery ;  and  I  must  say  I  've 
seen  men  shot  for  less,  and  nobody  sorry  !  What 
more  do  you  expect,  anyway  ?  " 

Herrick  rocked  to  and  fro  upon  the  sand,  shak- 
ing his  head. 

"Guying  us,"  he  said.  "He  was  guying  us  — 
only  guying  us  ;  it 's  all  we  're  good  for." 

"  There  was  one  queer  thing,  to  be  sure,"  ad- 
mitted the  captain,  with  a  misgiving  of  the  voice  ; 
"that  about  the  sherry.  D — d  if  I  caught  on  to 
that.     Say,  Herrick,  you  did  n't  give  me  away  ?  " 

"  Oh  !  give  you  away  !  "  repeated  Herrick  with 
weary,  querulous  scorn.  "What  was  there  to 
give  away  ?  We  're  transparent ;  we  've  got  rascal 
branded  on  us  ;  detected  rascal  —  detected  rascal ! 
Why,  before  he  came  on  board,  there  was  the  name 
painted  out,  and  he  saw  the  whole  thing.  He 
made  sure  we  would  kill  him  there  and  then,  and 
stood  guying  you  and  Huish  on  the  chance.  He 
calls  that  being  frightened !  Next  he  had  me 
ashore ;  a  fine  time  I  had !  The  two  wolves^  he 
calls  you  and  Huish.  What  is  the  puppy  doing 
with  the  two  wolves  f  he  asked.     He  showed  me 


l60  THE   EBB   TIDE. 

his  pearls;  he  said  they  might  be  dispersed  before 
morning,  and  all  hung  by  a  hair —  and  smiled  as 
he  said  it ;  such  a  smile !  Oh,  it 's  no  use,  I  tell 
you!  He  knows  all;  he  sees  through  all.  We 
only  make  him  laugh  with  our  pretences  —  he  looks 
at  us,  and  laughs  like  God  !  " 

There  was  a  silence.  Davis  stood  with  con- 
torted brows,  gazing  into  the  night. 

"  The  pearls  ?  "  he  said  suddenly.  "  He  showed 
them  to  you  ?     He  has  them  ?  " 

"  No,  he  did  n't  show  them.  I  forgot ;  only  the 
safe  they  were  in,"  said  Herrick.  "  But  you  '11 
never  get  them  ! " 

"  I  've  two  words  to  say  to  that,"  said  the  captain. 

"  Do  you  think  he  would  have  been  so  easy  at 
table  unless  he  was  prepared  ? "  cried  Herrick. 
"  The  servants  were  both  armed.  He  was  armed 
himself ;  he  always  is,  he  told  me.  You  will  never 
deceive  his  vigilance.  Davis,  I  know  it !  It 's  all 
up,  I  tell  you,  and  keep  telling  you,  and  proving  it. 
All  up ;  all  up !  There  's  nothing  for  it,  there 's 
nothing  to  be  done.  All  gone  —  Hfe,  honor,  love. 
O  my  God  !  my  God !  why  was  I  born  ?  " 

Another  pause  followed  upon  this  outburst. 

The  captain  put  his  hands  to  his  brow. 

"  Another  thing  !  "  he  broke  out.  "  Why  did  he 
tell  you  all  this?     Seems  Hke  madness  to  me." 

Herrick  shook  his  head  with  gloomy  iteration. 
"  You  would  n't  understand  if  I  were  to  tell  you," 
said  he. 

"I  guess  I  can  understand  any  blame'  thing 
that  you  can  tell  me,"  said  the  captain. 


THE   OPEN  DOOR.  l6l 

«  Well,  then,  he's  a  fatalist,"  said  Herrick. 

"  What 's  that  —  a  fatalist  ?  "  said  Davis. 

"  Oh,  it 's  a  fellow  that  believes  a  lot  of  things," 
said  Herrick.  "  Believes  that  his  bullets  go  true  ; 
believes  that  all  falls  out  as  God  chooses,  do  as 
you  like  to  prevent  it ;  and  all  that." 

"  Why,  I  guess  I  believe  right  so  myself,"  said 
Davis. 

"You  do  ?  "  said  Herrick. 

"  You  bet  I  do  !  "  said  Davis. 

Herrick  shrugged  his  shoulders.  "Well,  you 
must  be  a  fool,"  said  he,  and  he  leaned  his  head 
upon  his  knees. 

The  captain  stood  biting  his  hands. 

"  There  's  one  thing  sure,"  he  said  at  last.  "  I 
must  get  Huish  out  of  that.  He''s  not  fit  to  hold 
his  €nd  up  with  a  man  like  you  describe." 

And  he  turned  to  go  away.  The  words  had 
been  quite  simple ;  not  so  the  tone,  and  the  other 
was  quick  to  catch  it. 

"  Davis !  "  he  cried,  "  no  !  Don't  do  it !  Spare 
me^  and  don't  do  it !  Spare  yourself,  and  leave  it 
alone  —  for  God's  sake  !  for  your  children's  sake  !  " 

His  voice  rose  to  a  passionate  shrillness ;  another 
moment,  and  he  might  be  overheard  by  their  not 
distant  victim.  But  Davis  turned  on  him  with  a 
savage  oath  and  gesture  ;  and  the  miserable  young 
man  rolled  over  on  his  face  on  the  sand,  and  lay 
speechless  and  helpless. 

The  captain  meanwhile  set  out  rapidly  for 
Attwater's  house.  As  he  went,  he  considered 
II 


1 62  THE   EBB   TIDE. 

with  himself  eagerly,  his  thoughts  racing.  The 
man  had  understood ;  he  had  mocked  them  from 
the  beginning.  He  would  teach  him  to  make  a 
mockery  of  John  Davis  !  Herrick  thought  him  a 
god.  Give  him  a  second  to  aim  in,  and  the  god 
was  overthrown.  He  chuckled  as  he  felt  the  butt 
of  his  revolver.  It  should  be  done  now,  as  he  went 
in.  From  behind  ?  It  was  difficult  to  get  there. 
From  across  the  table  ?  No ;  the  captain  preferred 
to  shoot  standing,  so  as  you  could  be  sure  to  get 
you  hand  upon  your  gun.  The  best  would  be  to 
summon  Huish,  and  when  Attwater  stood  up 
and  turned —  ah,  then  would  be  the  moment ! 
Wrapped  in  this  ardent  prefiguration  of  events, 
the  captain  posted  towards  the  house  with  his 
head  down. 

"  Hands  up  !  Halt !  "  cried  the  voice  of  Attwater. 

And  the  captain,  before  he  knew  what  he  was 
doing,  had  obeyed.  The  surprise  was  complete 
and  irremediable.  Coming  on  the  top  crest  of  his 
murderous  intentions,  he  had  walked  straight 
into  an  ambuscade,  and  now  stood,  with  his  hands 
impotently  lifted,  staring  at  the  veranda. 

The  party  was  now  broken  up.  Attwater  leaned 
on  a  post,  and  kept  Davis  covered  with  a  Winches- 
ter. One  of  the  servants  was  hard  by,  with  a  sec- 
ond at  the  port  arms,  leaning  a  little  forward, 
round-eyed  with  eager  expectancy.  In  the  open 
space  at  the  head  of  the  stair,  Huish  was  partly 
supported  by  the  other  native,  his  face  wreathed  in 
meaningless  smiles,  his  mind  seemingly  sunk  in  the 
contemplation  of  an  unlighted  cigar. 


THE   OPEN   DOOR.  163 

"  Well,"  said  Attwater,  "  you  seem  to  me  to  be 
a  very  twopenny  pirate  !  " 

The  captain  uttered  a  sound  in  his  throat  for 
which  we  have  no  name  ;  rage  choked  him. 

"  I  'm  going  to  give  you  Mr.  Whish  —  or  the 
wine-sop  that  remains  of  him,"  continued  Attwater. 
"He  talks  a  great  deal  when  he  drinks,  Captain 
Davis  of  the  'Sea  Ranger.'  But  I  have  quite 
done  with  him,  and  return  the  article  with  thanks. 
Now,"  he  cried  sharply,  "  another  false  movement 
like  that,  and  your  family  will  have  to  deplore  the 
loss  of  an  invaluable  parent ;  keep  strictly  still, 
Davis." 

Attwater  said  a  word  in  the  native,  his  eye  still 
undeviatingly  fixed  on  the  captain,  and  the  servant 
thrust  Huish  smartly  forward  from  the  brink  of 
the  stair.  With  an  extraordinary  simultaneous 
dispersion  of  his  members,  that  gentleman  bounded 
forth  into  space,  struck  the  earth,  ricochetted,  and 
brought  up  with  his  arms  about  a  palm.  His  mind 
was  quite  a  stranger  to  these  events.  The  ex- 
pression of  anguish  that  deformed  his  countenance 
at  the  moment  of  the  leap  was  probably  mechani- 
cal. And  he  suffered  these  convulsions  in  silence ; 
clung  to  the  tree  like  an  infant ;  and  seemed,  by 
his  dips,  to  suppose  himself  engaged  in  the  pastime 
of  bobbing  for  apples.  A  more  finely  sympathetic 
mind,  or  a  more  observant  eye,  might  have  re- 
marked, a  little  in  front  of  him  on  the  sand,  and 
still  quite  beyond  reach,  the  unlighted  cigar. 

"  There  is  your  Whitechapel    carrion !  "    said 


164  THE   EBB    TIDE. 

Attwater.  *'  And  now  you  might  very  well  ask 
me  why  I  do  not  put  a  period  to  you  at  once,  as 
you  deserve.  I  will  tell  you  why,  Davis.  It  is 
because  I  have  nothing  to  do  with  the  '  Sea 
Ranger'  and  the  people  you  drowned,  or  the 
'  Farallone '  and  the  champagne  that  you  stole. 
That  is  your  account  with  God ;  He  keeps  it,  and 
He  will  settle  it  when  the  clock  strikes.  In  my 
own  case,  I  have  nothing  to  go  on  but  suspicion ; 
and  I  do  not  kill  on  suspicion,  not  even  vermin  like 
you.  But  understand ;  if  ever  I  see  any  of  you 
again,  it  is  another  matter,  and  you  shall  eat  a 
bullet.  And  now  take  yourself  off.  March !  And 
as  you  value  what  you  call  your  life,  keep  your 
hands  up  as  you  go !  " 

The  captain  remained  as  he  was,  his  hands  up, 
his  mouth  open,  mesmerized  with  fury. 

"  March  !  "  said  Attwater.     "  One,  two,  three  ! " 

And  Davis  turned  and  passed  slowly  away.  But 
even  as  he  went,  he  was  meditating  a  prompt, 
offensive  return.  In  the  twinkling  of  an  eye  he 
had  leaped  behind  a  tree,  and  was  crouching  there, 
pistol  in  hand,  peering  from  either  side  of  his  place 
of  ambush  with  bared  teeth,  a  serpent  already 
poised  to  strike.  And  already  he  was  too  late. 
Attwater  and  his  servants  had  disappeared,  and 
only  the  lamps  shone  on  the  deserted  table  and 
the  bright  sand  about  the  house,  and  threw  into 
the  night  in  all  directions  the  strong  and  tall 
shadows  of  the  palms. 

Davis  ground  his  teeth.     Where  were  they  gone, 


THE   OPEN   DOOR.  165 

the  cowards?  To  what  hole  had  they  retreated 
beyond  reach  ?  It  was  in  vain  he  should  try  any- 
thing—  he,  single,  and  with  a  second-hand  revol- 
ver, against  three  persons  armed  with  Winchesters, 
and  who  did  not  show  an  ear  out  of  any  of  the 
apertures  of  that  lighted  and  silent  house.  Some 
of  them  might  have  already  ducked  below  it  from 
the  rear,  and  be  drawing  a  bead  upon  him  at  that 
moment  from  the  low-browed  crypt,  the  receptacle 
of  empty  bottles  and  broken  crockery.  No,  there 
was  nothing  to  be  done  but  to  bring  away  (if  it 
were  still  possible)  his  shattered  and  demoralized 
forces. 

"  Huish,"  he  said,  "  come  along." 

"  's  loss  my  ciga',''  said  Huish,  reaching  vaguely 
forward. 

The  captain  let  out  a  rasping  oath.  "  Come 
right  along  here  !  "  said  he. 

"  's  all  righ'.  Sleep  here  'th  Atty  —  Attwa.  Go 
boar'  t'morr','*  replied  the  festive  one. 

"If  you  don't  come,  and  come  now,  by  the  living 
God  I  '11  shoot  you  ! "  cried  the  captain. 

It  is  not  to  be  supposed  that  the  sense  of  these 
words  in  any  way  penetrated  to  the  mind  of 
Huish ;  rather  that,  in  a  fresh  attempt  upon  the 
cigar,  he  over-balanced  himself,  and  came  flying 
erratically  forward,  a  course  which  brought  him 
within  reach  of  Davis. 

"  Now  you  walk  straight,"  said  the  captain, 
clutching  him,  "  or  I  '11  know  why  not." 

"  's  loss  my  ciga',"  replied  Huish. 


1 66  THE   EBB   TIDE. 

The  captain's  contained  fury  blazed  up  for  a 
moment.  He  twisted  Huish  round,  grasped  him  by 
the  neck  of  the  coat,  ran  him  in  front  of  him  to  the 
pier  end,  and  flung  him  savagely  forward  on  his 
face. 

"Look  for  your  cigar,  then,  you  swine  !  "  said 
he ;  and  blew  his  boat-call  till  the  pea  in  it  ceased 
to  rattle. 

An  immediate  activity  responded  on  board  the 
*  Farallone ; '  far  away  voices,  and  soon  the  sound 
of  oars,  floated  along  the  surface  of  the  lagoon ; 
and  at  the  same  time,  from  nearer  hand,  Herrick 
aroused  himself  and  strolled  languidly  up.  He 
bent  over  the  insignificant  figure  of  Huish,  where 
it  grovelled,  apparently  insensible,  at  the  base  of 
the  figure-head. 

«  Dead  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  No,  he  's  not  dead,"  said  Davis. 

"  And  Attwater  ?  "  asked  Herrick. 

"  Now  you  just  shut  your  head  !  "  replied  Davis. 
"  You  can  do  that,  I  fancy ;  and  by  God,  I  '11  show 
you  how  !     I  '11  stand  no  more  of  your  drivel." 

They  waited  accordingly  in  silence  till  the  boat 
bumped  on  the  farthest  piers,  then  raised  Huish, 
head  and  heels,  carried  him  down  the  gangway, 
and  flung  him  summarily  in  the  bottom.  On  the 
way  out  he  was  heard  murmuring  of  the  loss  of  his 
cigar ;  and  after  he  had  been  handed  up  the  side 
like  baggage,  and  cast  down  in  the  alleyway  to 
slumber,  his  last  audible  expression  was  :  "  Splen'l 
fl'   Attwa ! "      This    the    expert    construed    into 


THE   OPEN   DOOR.  167 

"  Splendid  fellow,  Attwater  ! "  With  so  much 
innocence  had  this  great  spirit  issued  from  the 
adventures  of  the  evening. 

The  captain  went  and  walked  in  the  waist  with 
brief,  irate  turns ;  Herrick  leaned  his  arms  on  the 
taffrail ;  the  crew  had  all  turned  in.  The  ship  had 
a  gentle,  cradling  motion  ;  at  times  a  block  piped 
like  a  bird.  On  shore,  through  the  colonnade  of 
palm  stems,  Attwater's  house  was  to  be  seen  shin- 
ing steadily  with  many  lamps.  And  there  was 
nothing  else  visible,  whether  in  the  heaven  above 
or  in  the  lagoon  below,  but  the  stars  and  their 
reflections.  It  might  have  been  minutes  or  it 
might  have  been  hours  that  Herrick  leaned  there, 
looking  in  the  glorified  water  and  drinking  peace. 
"  A  bath  of  stars,"  he  was  thinking,  when  a  hand 
was  laid  at  last  on  his  shoulder. 

"  Herrick,"  said  the  captain,  "  I  've  been  walking 
off  my  trouble." 

A  sharp  jar  passed  through  the  young  man,  but 
he  neither  answered  nor  so  much  as  turned  his 
head. 

"  I  guess  I  spoke  a  little  rough  to  you  on  shore," 
pursued  the  captain.  "  The  fact  is,  I  was  real 
mad  ;  but  now  it 's  over  and  you  and  me  have  to 
turn  to  and  think." 

"  I  will  not  think,"  said  Herrick. 

"  Here,  old  man,"  said  Davis  kindly,  "  this  won't 
fight,  you  know.  You  've  got  to  brace  up  and  help 
me  get  things  straight.  You're  not  going  back 
on  a  friend?    That's  not  like  you,  Herrick." 


1 68  THE   EBB   TIDE. 

"  Oh,  yes,  it  is,"  said  Herrick. 

"  Come,  come ! "  said  the  captain,  and  paused  as 
if  quite  at  a  loss.  "Look  here,"  he  cried,  "you 
have  a  glass  of  champagne ;  /  won't  touch  it,  so 
that  '11  show  you  if  I  'm  in  earnest.  But  it 's  just 
the  pick-me-up  for  you ;  it  '11  put  an  edge  on  you 
at  once." 

"Oh,  you  leave  me  alone,"  said  Herrick,  and 
turned  away. 

The  captain  caught  him  by  the  sleeve,  and  Her- 
rick shook  him  off  and  turned  on  him,  for  the 
moment,  like  a  demoniac. 

"  Go  to  hell  in  your  own  way !  "  he  cried. 

And  he  turned  away  again,  this  time  unchecked, 
and  stepped  forward  to  where  the  boat  rocked 
alongside,  and  ground  occasionally  against  the 
schooner.  He  looked  about  him ;  a  corner  of  the 
house  was  interposed  between  the  captain  and 
himself;  all  was  well;  no  eye  must  see  him  in 
that  last  act.  He  slid  silently  in  the  boat,  thence 
silently  into  the  starry  water.  Instinctively  he 
swam  a  little;  it  would  be  time  enough  to  stop 
by  and  by. 

The  shock  of  the  immersion  brightened  his  mind 
immediately ;  the  events  of  the  ignoble  day  passed 
before  him  in  a  frieze  of  pictures ;  and  he  thanked 
"  whatever  gods  there  be  "  for  that  open  door  of 
suicide.  In  such  a  little  while  he  would  be  done 
with  it,  the  random  business  at  an  end,  the  prodigal 
son  come  home.  A  very  bright  planet  shone  before 
him  and  drew  a  trenchant  wake  along  the  water. 


THE  OPEN   DOOR.  169 

He  took  that  for  his  line  and  followed  it ;  that  was 
the  last  earthly  thing  that  he  should  look  upon ;  that 
radiant  speck,  which  he  had  soon  magnified  into  a 
city  of  Laputa,  along  whose  terraces  there  walked 
men  and  women  of  awful  and  benignant  features, 
who  viewed  him  with  distant  commiseration.  These 
imaginary  spectators  consoled  him ;  he  told  himself 
their  talk,  one  to  another;  it  was  of  himself  and  his 
sad  destiny. 

From  such  flights  of  fancy  he  was  aroused  by 
the  growing  coldness  of  the  water.  Why  should 
he  delay  ?  Here,  where  he  was  now,  let  him  drop 
the  curtain,  let  him  seek  the  ineffable  refuge,  let 
him  lie  down  with  all  races  and  generations  of  men 
in  the  house  of  sleep.  It  was  easy  to  say,  easy  to 
do.  To  stop  swimming  —  there  was  no  mystery  in 
that,  if  he  could  do  it.  Could  he  }  And  he  could 
not.  He  knew  it  instantly.  He  was  aware  in- 
stantly of  an  opposition  in  his  members,  unani- 
mous and  invincible,  clinging  to  life  with  a  single 
and  fixed  resolve,  finger  by  finger,  sinew  by  sinew ; 
something  that  was  at  once  he  and  not  he ;  at  once 
within  and  without  him;  the  shutting  of  some 
miniature  valve  in  his  brain,  which  a  single  manly 
thought  should  suffice  to  open ;  and  the  grasp  of 
an  external  fate  ineluctable  as  gravity.  To  any 
man  there  may  come  at  times  a  consciousness  that 
there  blows  through  all  the  articulations  of  his 
body  the  wind  of  a  spirit  not  wholly  his ;  that  his 
mind  rebels;  that  another  girds  him  and  carries 
him  whither  he  would  not.     It  came  now  to  Her- 


170  THE   EBB   TIDE. 

rick,  with  the  authority  of  a  revelation.  There 
was  no  escape  possible.  The  open  door  was 
closed  in  his  recreant  face.  He  must  go  back 
into  the  world  and  amongst  men  without  illusion. 
He  must  stagger  on  to  the  end  with  the  pack  of 
his  responsibility  and  his  disgrace,  until  a  cold,  a 
blow,  a  merciful  chance  ball,  or  the  more  merciful 
hangman,  should  dismiss  him  from  his  infamy. 
There  were  men  who  could  commit  suicide :  there 
were  men  who  could  not;  and  he  was  one  who 
could  not. 

For  perhaps  a  minute  there  raged  in  his  mind 
the  coil  of  this  discovery ;  then  cheerless  certitude 
followed,  and,  with  an  incredible  simplicity  of  sub- 
mission to  ascertained  fact,  he  turned  round  and 
struck  out  for  shore.  There  was  a  courage  in  this 
which  he  could  not  appreciate,  the  ignobiHty  of  his 
cowardice  wholly  occupying  him.  A  strong  cur- 
rent set  against  him  like  a  wind  in  his  face;  he 
contended  with  it  heavily,  wearily,  without  enthu- 
siasm, but  with  substantial  advantage;  marking 
his  progress  the  while,  without  pleasure,  by  the 
outline  of  the  trees.  Once  he  had  a  moment  of 
hope.  He  heard  to  the  southward  of  him,  towards 
the  centre  of  the  lagoon,  the  wallowing  of  some 
great  fish,  doubtless  a  shark,  and  paused  for  a 
little,  treading  water.  Might  not  this  be  the  hang- 
man? he  thought.  But  the  wallowing  died  away; 
mere  silence  succeeded;  and  Herrick  pushed  on 
again  for  the  shore,  raging  as  he  went  at  his  own 
nature.     Ay,  he  would  wait  for  the  shark ;  but  if 


THE   OPEN   DOOR.  171 

he  had  heard  him  coming  —  His  smile  was  tragic. 
He  could  have  spat  upon  himself. 

About  three  in  the  morning,  chance  and  the  set 
of  the  current,  and  the  bias  of  his  own  right-handed 
body,  so  decided  it  between  them  that  he  came  to 
shore  upon  the  beach  in  front  of  Attwater's.  There 
he  sat  down,  and  looked  forth  into  a  world  without 
any  of  the  lights  of  hope.  The  poor  diving-dress 
of  self-conceit  was  sadly  tattered.  With  the  fairy 
tale  of  suicide,  of  a  refuge  always  open  to  him,  he 
had  hitherto  beguiled  and  supported  himself  in  the 
trials  of  life  ;  and  behold  !  that  also  was  only  a 
fairy  tale  ;  that  also  was  folk-lore.  With  the  con- 
sequences of  his  acts  he  saw  himself  implacably 
confronted  for  the  duration  of  life,  stretched  upon 
a  cross,  and  nailed  there  with  the  iron  bolts  of  his 
own  cowardice.  He  had  no  tears,  he  told  himself 
no  stories.  His  disgust  with  himself  was  so  com- 
plete, that  even  the  process  of  apologetic  mythology 
had  ceased.  He  was  like  a  man  cast  down  from  a 
pillar  and  every  bone  broken  ;  he  lay  there,  and  ad- 
mitted the  facts,  and  did  not  attempt  to  rise. 

Dawn  began  to  break  over  the  far  side  of  the 
atoll,  the  sky  brightened,  the  clouds  became  dyed 
with  gorgeous  colors,  the  shadows  of  the  night 
lifted.  And  suddenly  Herrick  was  aware  that 
the  lagoon  and  the  trees  wore  again  their  day- 
light livery;  and  he  saw,  on  board  the  *Faral- 
lone,'  Davis  extinguishing  the  lantern,  and  smoke 
rising  from  the  galley. 

Davis,  without  doubt,  remarked  and  recognized 


172  THE   EBB    TIDE. 

the  figure  on  the  beach  —  or,  perhaps,  hesitated 
to  recognize  it  —  for  after  he  had  gazed  a  long 
while  from  under  his  hand,  he  went  into  the  house 
and  fetched  a  glass.  It  was  very  powerful ;  Her- 
rick  had  often  used  it.  With  an  instinct  of  shame, 
he  hid  his  face  in  his  hands. 

"  And  what  brings  you  here,  Mr.  Herrick-Hay, 
or  Mr.  Hay-Herrick?"  asked  the  voice  of  Att- 
water.  "  Your  back  view  from  my  present  posi- 
tion is  remarkably  fine,  and  I  would  continue  to 
present  it.  We  can  get  on  very  nicely  as  we  are, 
and  if  you  were  to  turn  round,  do  you  know,  I 
think  it  would  be  awkward." 

Herrick  slowly  rose  to  his  feet ;  his  heart  throbbed 
hard ;  a  hideous  excitement  shook  him,  but  he  was 
master  of  himself.  Slowly  he  turned  and  faced 
Attwater  and  the  muzzle  of  a  pointed  rifle.  "  Why 
could  I  not  do  that  last  night  ?  "  he  thought. 

"  Well,  why  don  't  you  fire  ?  "  he  said  aloud,  with 
a  voice  that  trembled. 

Attwater  slowly  put  his  gun  under  his  arm,  then 
his  hands  in  his  pockets. 

"  What  brings  you  here  ?  "  he  repeated. 

*'  I  don't  know,"  said  Herrick  ;  and  then,  with  a 
cry,  "  Can  you  do  anything  with  me .''  " 

"  Are  you  armed  ?  "  said  Attwater.  "  I  ask  for 
the  form's  sake." 

"  Armed  ?  No  !  "  said  Herrick.  "  Oh,  yes,  I  am, 
too ! " 

And  he  flung  upon  the  beach  a  dripping  pistol. 

"  You  are  wet,"  said  Attwater. 


THE   OPEN   DOOR.  173 

"Yes,  I  am  wet,"  said  Herrick.  "Can  you  do 
anything  with  me  ?  " 

Attwater  read  his  face  attentively. 

"  It  would  depend  a  good  deal  upon  what  you 
are,"  said  he. 

"What?     I  am  a  coward!  "  said  Herrick. 

"  There  is  very  little  to  be  done  with  that,"  said 
Attwater.  "  And  yet  the  description  hardly  strikes 
one  as  exhaustive." 

"  Oh !  what  does  it  matter  ?  "  cried  Herrick. 
"  Here  I  am.  I  am  broken  crockery  ;  the  whole  of 
my  life  is  gone  to  water ;  I  have  nothing  left  that 
I  believe  in,  except  my  living  horror  of  myself. 
Why  do  I  come  to  you  ?  I  don 't  know.  You  are 
cold,  cruel,  hateful ;  and  I  hate  you,  or  I  think  I 
hate  you.  But  you  are  an  honest  man,  an  honest 
gentleman.  I  put  myself  helpless  in  your  hands. 
What  must  I  do  ?  li  I  can't  do  anything,  be  mer- 
ciful, and  put  a  bullet  through  me;  it's  only  a 
puppy  with  a  broken  leg!" 

"  If  I  were  you,  I  would  pick  up  that  pistol,  come 
up  to  the  house,  and  put  on  some  dry  clothes,"  said 
Attwater, 

"  If  you  really  mean  it  ?  "  said  Herrick.  "  You 
know  they  —  we  —  they  —     But  you  know  all." 

"  I  know  quite  enough,"  said  Attwater.  "  Come 
up  to  the  house." 

And  the  captain,  from  the  deck  of  the  '  Faral- 
lone,'  saw  the  two  men  pass  together  under  the 
shadow  of  the  grove. 


CHAPTER  XI. 


DAVID  AND   GOLIATH. 


H 


UISH  had  bundled  himself  up  from  the 
glare  of  the  day,  his  face  to  the  house,  his  knees 
retracted ;  the  frail  bones  in  the  thin  tropical 
raiment  seemed  scarce  more  considerable  than  a 
fowl's;  and  Davis,  sitting  on  the  rail,  with  his 
arm  about  a  stay,  contemplated  him  with  gloom, 
wondering  what  manner  of  counsel  that  insignifi- 
cant figure  should  contain.  For  since  Herrick 
had  thrown  him  off  and  deserted  to  the  enemy, 
Huish,  alone  of  mankind,  remained  to  him  to  be 
a  helper  and  oracle. 

He  considered  their  position  with  a  sinking 
heart.  The  ship  was  a  stolen  ship;  the  stores, 
whether  from  initial  carelessness  or  ill  adminis- 
tration during  the  voyage,  were  insufficient  to 
carry  them  to  any  port  except  back  to  Papeete ; 
and  there  retribution  waited  in  the  shape  of 
2i  gendarme,  a  judge  with  a  queer-shaped  hat,  and 
the  horror  of  distant  Noumea.  Upon  that  side 
there  was  no  glimmer  of  hope.  Here,  at  the 
island,  the  dragon  was  roused;  Attwater  with 
his  men   and  his  Winchesters  watched   and  pa- 


DAVID   AND   GOLIATH.  1 75 

trolled  the  house ;  let  him  who  dare  approach  it. 
What  else  was  then  left  but  to  sit  there  inac- 
tive, pacing  the  decks,  until  the  '  Trinity  Hall ' 
arrived,  and  they  were  cast  into  irons,  or  until 
the  food  came  to  an  end,  and  the  pangs  of 
famine  succeeded  ?  For  the  '  Trinity  Hall ' 
Davis  was  prepared.  He  would  barricade  the 
house,  and  die  there,  defending  it,  like  a  rat  in  a 
crevice.  But  for  the  other?  The  cruise  of  the 
'Farallone,'  into  which  he  had  plunged,  only  a 
fortnight  before,  with  such  golden  expectations, 
could  this  be  the  nightmare  end  of  it,  —  the  ship 
rotting  at  anchor,  the  crew  stumbling  and  dying 
in  the  scuppers  ?  It  seemed  as  if  any  extreme 
of  hazard  were  to  be  preferred  to  so  grisly  a 
certainty;  as  if  it  would  be  better  to  up-anchor, 
after  all,  put  to  sea  at  a  venture,  and  perhaps 
perish  at  the  hands  of  cannibals  on  one  of  the 
more  obscure  Paumotus.  His  eye  roved  swiftly 
over  sea  and  sky  in  quest  of  any  promise  of  wind, 
but  the  fountains  of  the  Trade  were  empty. 
Where  it  had  run  yesterday,  and  for  weeks  before, 
a  roaring  blue  river  charioting  clouds,  silence  now 
reigned,  and  the  whole  height  of  the  atmosphere 
stood  balanced.  On  the  endless  ribbon  of  island 
that  stretched  out  to  either  hand  of  hjm  its  array 
of  golden  and  green  and  silvery  palms,  not  the 
most  volatile  frond  was  to  be  seen  stirring ;  they 
drooped  to  their  stable  images  in  the  lagoon  like 
things  carved  of  metal,  and  already  their  long  line 
began  to  reverberate  heat.     There  was  no  escape 


176  THE   EBB   TIDE. 

possible  that  day,  none  probable  on  the  morrow. 
And  still  the  stores  were  running  out. 

Then  came  over  Davis,  from  deep  down  in  the 
roots  of  his  being,  or  at  least  from  far  back 
among  his  memories  of  childhood  and  innocence, 
a  wave  of  superstition.  This  run  of  ill  luck  was 
something  beyond  natural;  the  chances  of  the 
game  were  In  themselves  more  various ;  it  seemed 
as  if  the  devil  must  serve  the  pieces.  The  devil  ? 
He  heard  again  the  clear  note  of  Attwater's  bell 
ringing  abroad  into  the  night,  and  dying  away. 
How,  if  God  —  ? 

Briskly  he  averted  his  mind.  Attwater  —  that 
was  the  point.  Attwater  had  food  and  a  treasure 
of  pearls ;  escape  made  possible  in  the  present, 
riches  in  the  future.  They  must  come  to  grips 
with  Attwater;  the  man  must  die.  A  smoky 
heat  went  over  his  face  as  he  recalled  the  impo- 
tent figure  he  had  made  last  night,  and  the  con- 
temptuous speeches  he  must  bear  in  silence.  Rage, 
shame,  and  the  love  of  life  all  pointed  the  one 
way ;  and  only  invention  halted.  How  to  reach 
him  ?  Had  he  strength  enough  ?  Was  there  any 
help  in  that  misbegotten  packet  of  bones  against 
the  house  ? 

His  eyes  dwelled  upon  him  with  a  strange 
avidity,  as  though  he  would  read  into  his  soul ; 
and  presently  the  sleeper  moved,  stirred  uneasily, 
turned  suddenly  round,  and  threw  him  a  blinking 
look.  Davis  maintained  the  same  dark  stare,  and 
Huish  looked  away  again  and  sat  up. 


DAVID    AND   GOLIATH.  1 77 

"  Lord,  I  've  an  'eadache  on  me  !  "  said  he.  "  I 
believe  I  was  a  bit  swipey  last  night.  Ware's 
that  cry-byby,  'Errick  ?  " 

"  Gone,"  said  the  captain. 

"Ashore?"  cried  Huish.  "Oh,  I  say,  I'd  V 
gone,  too." 

"  Would  you  ?  "  said  the  captain. 

"Yes,  I  would,"  replied  Huish.  "I  like  Att- 
water ;  'e  's  all  right ;  we  got  on  like  one  o'clock 
when  you  were  gone.  And  ain't  his  sherry  in  it, 
rather  ?  It 's  like  Spiers  and  Pond's  Amontillado ! 
I  wish  I  'ad  a  drain  of  it  now,"  he  sighed. 

"  Well,  you  '11  never  get  no  more  of  it,  that 's 
one  thing,"  said  Davis,  gravely. 

"  'Ere  !  wot 's  wrong  with  you,  Dyvis  ?  Coppers 
'ot?  Well,  look  at  me/  I  ain't  grumpy,"  said 
Huish.     "  I  'm  as  plyful  as  a  canyry-bird,  I  am." 

"  Yes,"  said  Davis,  "  you  're  playful,  I  own  that ; 
and  you  were  playful  last  night,  I  believe,  and  a 
damned  fine  performance  you  made  of  it." 

"'Alio!"  said  Huish.  "'Ow's  this?  Wot 
performance  ? " 

"  Well,  I  '11  tell  you,"  said  the  captain,  getting 
slowly  off  the  rail. 

And  he  did,  at  full  length,  with  every  wounding 
epithet  and  absurd  detail  repeated  and  empha- 
sized ;  he  had  his  own  vanity  and  Huish's  upon 
the  grill  and  roasted  them ;  and  as  he  spoke  he  in- 
flicted and  endured  agonies  of  humiliation.  It  was 
a  plain  man's  master-piece  of  the  sardonic. 

"  What  do  you  think  of  it  ?  "  said  he,  when  he 
12 


178  THE   EBB   TIDE. 

had  done,  and  looked  down  at  Huish,  flushed  and 
serious,  and  yet  jeering. 

"  I  '11  tell  you  wot  it  is,"  was  the  reply,  "  you  and 
me  cut  a  pretty  dicky  figure." 

"  That 's  so,"  said  Davis ;  "  a  pretty  measly 
figure,  by  God !  And,  by  God !  I  want  to  see  that 
man  at  my  knees." 

"  Ah  ! "  said  Huish.     "  'Ow  to  get  him  there  ? " 

"  That 's  it !  "  cried  Davis.  "  How  to  get  hold  to 
him !  They  're  four  to  two,  though  there  's  only 
one  man  among  them  to  count,  and  that's  Att- 
water.  Get  a  bead  on  Attwater,  and  the  others 
would  cut  and  run  and  sing  out  like  frightened 
poultry,  and  old  man  Herrick  would  come  round 
with  his  hat  for  a  share  of  the  pearls.  No,  sir  / 
It 's  how  to  get  hold  of  Attwater !  And  we  dare  n't 
even  go  ashore.  He  would  shoot  us  in  the  boat 
like  dogs." 

"^  Are  you  particular  about  having  him  dead  or 
alive?"  asked  Huish. 

"  I  want  to  see  him  dead,"  said  the  captain. 

"  Ah,  well,"  said  Huish.  "  Then  I  believe  I  '11 
do  a  bit  of  breakfast." 

And  he  turned  into  the  house. 

The  captain  doggedly  followed  him. 

"  What 's  this  ? "  he  asked.  "  What 's  your  idea, 
anyway?" 

"  Oh,  you  let  me  alone,  will  you?  "  said  Huish, 
opening  a  bottle  of  champagne.  "  You  'U  'ear  my 
idea  soon  enough.  Wyte  till  I  pour  some  cham  on 
my  'ot  coppers."     He  drank  a  glass  off,  and  affected 


DAVID   AND   GOLIATH.  1 79 

to  listen.  "  'Ark  !  "  said  he,  "  'ear  it  fizz.  Like 
'am  fryin',  I  declare.  'Ave  a  glass,  do,  and  look 
sociable." 

"  No,"  said  the  captain,  with  emphasis.  "  No,  I 
will  not.     There  's  business." 

"  You  p'ys  your  money  and  you  tykes  your 
choice,  my  little  man,"  returned  Huish.  "  Seems 
rather  a  shyme  to  me  to  spoil  your  breakfast  for 
wot 's  really  ancient  'istory." 

He  finished  three  parts  of  a  bottle  of  champagne 
and  nibbled  a  corner  of  biscuit  with  extreme  de- 
liberation, the  captain  sitting  opposite  and  champ- 
ing the  bit  like  an  impatient  horse.  Then  Huish 
leaned  his  arms  on  the  table  and  looked  Davis  in 
the  face. 

"  W  'en  you  're  ready,"  said  he. 

"Well,  now,  what's  your  idea?"  said  Davis, 
with  a  sigh. 

"  Fair  play ! "  said  Huish.     "  What 's  yours  ?  " 

*'  The  trouble  is  that  I  've  got  none,"  replied 
Davis;  and  wandered  for  some  time  in  aimless 
discussion  of  the  difficulties  in  their  path,  and 
useless  explanations  of  his  own  fiasco. 

"  About  done  ?  "  said  Huish. 

"  I  '11  dry  up  right  here,"  replied  Davis. 

"Well,  then,"  said  Huish,  "you  give  me  your 
'and  across  the  table,  and  say :  *  Gawd  strike  me 
dead  if  I  don't  back  you  up.'  " 

His  voice  was  hardly  raised,  yet  it  thrilled  the 
hearer.  His  face  seemed  the  epitome  of  cunning, 
and  the  captain  recoiled  from  it  as  from  a  blow. 


l80  THE   EBB   TIDE. 

"  What  for  ?  "  said  he. 

"Luck,"  said  Huish.  "Substantial  guarantee 
demanded." 

And  he  continued  to  hold  out  his  hand. 

"  I  don't  see  the  good  of  any  such  tomfoolery," 
said  the  other. 

"I  do,  though,"  returned  Huish.  "Gimme 
your  'and  and  say  the  words,  then  you  '11  'ear  my 
view  of  it.     Don't,  and  you  don't." 

The  captain  went  through  the  required  form, 
breathing  short,  and  gazing  on  the  clerk  with  an- 
guish. What  to  fear  he  knew  not ;  yet  he  feared 
slavishly  what  was  to  fall  from  these  pale  lips. 

"  Now,  if  you  '11  excuse  me  'alf  a  second,"  said 
Huish,  "  I  '11  go  and  fetch  the  byby." 

"  The  baby  ? "  said  Davis.     "  What 's  that  ?  " 

"  Fragile.  With  care.  This  side  up,"  replied 
the  clerk,  with  a  wink,  as  he  disappeared. 

He  returned,  smiling  to  himself,  and  carrying  in 
his  hand  a  silk  handkerchief.  The  long,  stupid 
wrinkles  ran  up  Davis's  brow  as  he  saw  it.  What 
should  it  contain?  He  could  think  of  nothing 
more  recondite  than  a  revolver. 

Huish  resumed  his  seat. 

"  Now,"  said  he,  "  are  you  man  enough  to  take 
charge  of  'Errick  and  the  niggers  ?  Because  I  '11 
take  care  of  Hattwater." 

"  How  ?  "  cried  Davis.     "  You  can't ! " 

"  Tut,  tut,"  said  the  clerk.  "  You  gimme  time. 
Wot's  the  first  point  ?  The  first  point  is,  that  we 
can't  get  ashore ;  and  I  '11  make  you  a  present  of 


DAVID    AND   GOLIATH.  l8l 

that  for  a  'ard  one.  But  'ow  about  a  flag  of  truce  ? 
Would  that  do  the  trick,  d  'ye  think,  or  would 
Attwater  simply  blyze  aw'y  at  us  in  the  bloomin' 
boat  like  dawgs  ?  " 

"  No,"  said  Davis,  "  I  don't  believe  he  would." 

"  No  more  do  I,"  said  Huish.  *'  I  don't  believe 
he  would,  either;  and  I'm  sure  I  'ope  he  won't. 
So  then  you  can  call  us  ashore.  Next  point  is  to 
get  near  the  managin'  direction.  And  for  that  I  'm 
going  to  'ave  you  write  a  letter,  in  w'ich  you  s'y 
you're  ashymed  to  meet  his  eye,  and  that  the 
bearer,  Mr.  J.  L.  'Uish,  is  empowered  to  represent 
you  ;  armed  with  w'ich  seemin'ly  simple  expedient, 
Mr.  J.  L.  'Uish  will  proceed  to  business." 

He  paused,  like  one  who  had  finished,  but  still 
held  Davis  with  his  eye. 

"  How  ?  "  said  Davis.     "  Why  ?  " 

"  Well,  you  see,  you  're  big,"  returned  Huish ;  "  'e 
knows  you  'ave  a  gun  in  your  pocket,  and  anybody 
can  see  with  'alf  an  eye  that  you  ain't  the  man  to 
'esitate  about  usin'  it.  So  it 's  no  go  with  you,  and 
never  was ;  you  're  out  of  the  runnin',  Dyvis.  But 
he  won't  be  afryde  of  me,  I  'm  such  a  little  un. 
I  'm  unarmed  —  no  kid  about  that  —  and  I  '11  'old 
my  'ands  up  right  enough,"  He  paused.  "  If  I 
can  manage  to  sneak  up  nearer  to  him  as  we  talk," 
he  resumed,  "  you  look  out  and  back  me  up  smart. 
If  I  don't,  we  go  aw'y  again,  and  nothink  to  'urt. 
See?" 

The  captain's  face  was  contorted  by  the  frenzied 
effort  to  comprehend. 


l82  THE   EBB  TIDE. 

"  No,  I  don't  see,"  he  cried.  "  I  can't  see.  What 
do  you  mean  ?  " 

"  I  mean  to  do  for  the  Beast ! "  cried  Huish,  in  a 
burst  of  venomous  triumph.  "  I  '11  bring  the  'ulkin' 
bully  to  grass.  He  's  'ad  his  larks  out  of  me  :  I  'm 
goin'  to  'ave  my  lark  out  of  'im ;  and  a  good  lark, 
too!" 

"  What  is  it  ? "  said  the  captain,  almost  in  a 
whisper. 

"  Sure  you  want  to  know  ?  "  asked  Huish. 

Davis  rose  and  took  a  turn  in  the  house. 

"  Yes,  I  want  to  know,"  he  said  at  last,  with  an 
effort. 

"  W'en  your  back 's  at  the  wall,  you  do  the  best 
you  can,  don't  you  ? "  began  the  clerk.  "  I  s'y 
that,  because  I  'appen  to  know  there  's  a  prejudice 
against  it;  it's  considered  vulgar,  awf'ly  vulgar." 
He  unrolled  the  handkerchief  and  showed  a  four- 
ounce  jar.     "  This  'ere  's  vitriol,  this  is,"  said  he. 

The  captain  stared  upon  him  with  a  whitening 
face. 

"  This  is  the  stuff  ! "  he  pursued,  holding  it  up. 
"  This  '11  burn  to  the  bone ;  you  '11  see  it  smoke 
upon  'im  like  'ell  fire.  One  drop  upon  'is  bloomin' 
heyesight,  and  I  '11  trouble  you  for  Attwater ! " 

"  No,  no,  by  God !  "  exclaimed  the  captain. 

"  Now,  see  'ere,  ducky,"  said  Huish,  this  is  my 
bean-feast,  I  believe  ?  I  'm  goin'  up  to  that  man 
single-'anded,  I  am.  'E 's  about  seven  foot  high 
and  I  'm  five  foot  one.  'E  's  a  rifle  in  his  'and,  'e  's 
on  the  look-out ;  'e  was  n't  born  yesterday.    This  is 


DAVID   AND   GOLIATH.  1 83 

Dyvid  and  Goliar,  I  tell  you.  If  I  'ad  ast  you  to 
walk  up  and  face  the  music  I  could  understand. 
But  I  don't.  I  on'y  ast  you  to  stand  by  and  spiffli- 
cate  the  niggers.  It'll  all  come  in  quite  natural; 
you  '11  see,  else.  Fust  thing  you  know  you  '11  see 
him  running  round  and  'owling  like  a  good  un  — " 

"  Don't ! "  said  Davis.     "  Don't  talk  of  it ! " 

"  Well,  you  are  a  juggins !  "  exclaimed  Huish. 
"What  did  you  want?  You  wanted  to  kill  him, 
and  tried  to  last  night.  You  wanted  to  kill  the  'ole 
lot  of  them,  and  tried  to,  and  'ere  I  show  you  'ow ; 
and  because  there 's  some  medicine  in  a  bottle,  you 
kick  up  this  fuss !  " 

"  I  suppose  that 's  so,"  said  Davis.  "  It  don't 
seem  someways  reasonable,  only  there  it  is." 

"It's  the  happlication  of  science,  I  suppose?" 
sneered  Huish, 

"  I  don't  know  what  it  is,"  cried  Davis,  pacing 
the  floor.  "  It 's  there ;  I  draw  the  line  at  it.  I 
can't  put  a  finger  to  no  such  piggishness ;  it 's  too 
damned  hateful ! " 

"  And  I  suppose  it 's  all  your  fancy  pyited  it," 
said  Huish,  "w'en  you  take  a  pistol  and  a  bit  o' 
lead,  and  copse  a  man's  brains  all  over  him  ?  No 
accountin'  for  tystes." 

"  I  'm  not  denying  it,"  said  Davis  ;  "  it 's  some- 
thing here,  inside  of  me.  It 's  foolishness ;  I  dare- 
say it's  damn  foolishness.  I  don't  argue,  I  just 
draw  the  line.     Is  n't  there  no  other  way  ?  " 

"  Look  for  yourself,"  said  Huish.  "  I  ain't  wedded 
to  this,  if  you  think  I  am.     I  ain't  ambitious.     I 


184  THE   EBB   TIDE. 

don't  make  a  point  of  playin'  the  lead.  I  offer  to, 
that's  all;  and  if  you  can't  show  me  better,  by 
Gawd,  I  'm  goin'  to  I " 

"  Then  the  risk !  **  cried  Davis. 

"If  you  ast  me  stryte,  I  should  say  it  was  a 
case  of  seven  to  one  and  no  tykers,"  said  Huish. 
"  But  that 's  my  lookout,  ducky,  and  I  'm  gyme. 
Look  at  me,  Dyvis;  there  ain't  any  shilly-shally 
about  me.  I  'm  gyme,  that 's  what  I  am ;  gyme  all 
through." 

The  captain  looked  at  him.  Huish  sat  there, 
preening  his  sinister  vanity,  glorying  in  his  pre- 
cedency in  evil;  and  the  villanous  courage  and 
readiness  of  the  creature  shone  out  of  him  like  a 
candle  from  a  lantern.  Dismay  and  a  kind  of 
respect  seized  hold  on  Davis  in  his  own  despite. 
Until  that  moment  he  had  seen  the  clerk  always 
hanging  back,  always  listless,  uninterested,  and 
openly  grumbling  at  a  word  of  anything  to  do ;  and 
now,  by  the  touch  of  an  enchanter's  wand,  he  be- 
held him  sitting  girt  and  resolved,  and  his  face 
radiant.  He  had  raised  the  devil,  he  thought, 
and  asked  who  was  to  control  him,  and  his  spirits 
quailed. 

"  Look  as  long  as  you  like,"  Huish  was  going  on. 
"  You  don't  see  any  green  in  my  eye.  I  ain't  afryde 
of  Attwater,  I  ain't  afryde  of  you,  and  I  ain't  afryde 
of  words.  You  want  to  kill  people,  that 's  wot  you 
want ;  but  you  want  to  do  it  in  kid  gloves,  and  it 
can't  be  done  that  w'y.  Murder  ain't  genteel,  it 
ain't  easy,  it  ain't  safe,  and  it  tykes  a  man  to  do  it- 
'Ere 's  the  man." 


DAVID   AND   GOLIATH.  185 

"Huish!"  began  the  captain  with  energy,  and 
then  stopped,  and  remained  staring  at  him  with 
corrugated  brows. 

"Well,  hout  with  it,"  said  Huish.  "'Ave  you 
any  think  else  to  put  up  ?  Is  there  any  other  chanst 
to  try?" 

The  captain  held  his  peace. 

"  There  you  are,  then,"  said  Huish,  with  a  shrug. 

Davis  fell  again  to  his  pacing. 

"  Oh,  you  may  do  sentry-go  till  you  're  blue  in 
the  mug;  you  won't  find  anythink  else,"  said 
Huish. 

There  was  a  little  silence,  —  the  captain,  like  a 
man  launched  on  a  swing,  flying  dizzily  among 
extremes  of  conjecture  and  refusal. 

"  But  see,"  he  said,  suddenly  pausing.  "  Can 
you?  Can  the  thing  be  done?  It — it  can't  be 
easy." 

"  If  I  get  within  twenty  foot  of  'im  it'll  be  done; 
so  you  look  out,"  said  Huish,  and  his  tone  of  cer- 
tainty was  absolute. 

"  How  can  you  know  that  ? "  broke  from  the 
captain  in  a  choked  cry.  "You  beast,  I  believe 
you  've  done  it  before ! " 

"  Oh,  that 's  private  affyres,"  returned  Huish. 
"  I  ain't  a  talking  man." 

A  shock  of  repulsion  struck  and  shook  the  cap- 
tain. A  scream  rose  almost  to  his  lips;  had  he 
uttered  it,  he  might  have  cast  himself  at  the  same 
moment  on  the  debile  body  of  Huish,  might  have 
picked  him  up,  and  flung  him  down,  and  wiped  the 


1 86  THE   EBB   TIDE. 

cabin  with  him  in  a  frenzy  of  cruelty  that  seemed 
half  moral ;  but  the  moment  passed,  and  the  abor- 
tive crisis  left  the  man  weaker.  The  stakes  were 
so  high,  —  the  pearls  on  the  one  hand,  starvation 
and  shame  on  the  other.  Ten  years  of  pearls ! 
The  imagination  of  Davis  translated  them  into  a 
new,  glorified  existence  for  himself  and  his  family. 
The  seat  of  this  new  life  must  be  in  London,  —  there 
were  deadly  reasons  against  Portland,  Maine,  —  and 
the  pictures  that  came  to  him  were  of  English  man- 
ners. He  saw  his  boys  marching  in  the  procession 
of  a  school,  with  gowns  on,  an  usher  marshalling 
them,  and  reading,  as  he  walked,  in  a  great  book. 
He  was  installed  in  a  villa,  semi-detached,  the 
name,  'Rosemore,'  on  the  gate-posts.  In  a  chair 
on  the  gravel  walk  he  seemed  to  sit  smoking  a 
cigar,  a  blue  rib])on  in  his  buttonhole,  victor  over 
himself  and  circumstances  and  the  malignity  of 
bankers.  He  saw  the  parlor  with  red  curtains,  and 
shells  on  the  mantel-piece ;  and,  with  the  fine  in- 
consistency of  visions,  mixed  a  grog  at  the  mahog- 
any table  ere  he  turned  in.  With  that  the 
*  Farallone '  gave  one  of  the  aimless  and  name- 
less movements  which  (even  in  an  anchored  ship 
and  even  in  the  most  profound  calm)  remind  one 
of  the  mobility  of  fluids ;  and  he  was  back  again 
under  the  cover  of  the  house,  the  fierce  daylight 
besieging  it  all  round  and  glaring  in  the  chinks, 
and  the  clerk,  in  a  rather  airy  attitude,  awaiting 
his  decision. 

He  began  to  walk  again.     He  aspired  after  the 


DAVID   AND   GOLIATH.  187 

realization  of  these  dreams,  like  a  horse  nickering 
for  water ;  the  lust  of  them  burned  in  his  inside ; 
and  the  only  obstacle  was  Attwater,  who  had  in- 
sulted him  from  the  first.  He  gave  Herrick  a  full 
share  of  the  pearls ;  he  insisted  on  it.  Huish  op- 
posed him,'  and  he  trod  the  opposition  down,  and 
praised  himself  exceedingly.  He  was  not  going  to 
use  vitriol  himself.  Was  he  Huish's  keeper?  It 
was  a  pity  he  had  asked,  but  after  all  —  He  saw 
the  boys  again  in  the  school  procession,  with  the 
gowns  he  had  thought  to  be  so  "  tony  "  long  since  — 
And  at  the  same  time  the  incomparable  shame  of 
the  last  evening  blazed  up  in  his  mind. 

"  Have  it  your  own  way,"  he  said  hoarsely. 

«'  Oh,  I  knew  you  would  walk  up,"  said  Huish. 
"Now  for  the  letter.  There's  paper,  pens,  and 
ink.     Sit  down,  and  I  '11  dictyte." 

The  captain  took  a  seat  and  the  pen,  looked 
awhile  helplessly  at  the  paper,  then  at  Huish.  The 
swing  had  gone  the  other  way ;  there  was  a  blur 
upon  his  eyes.  "It's  a  dreadful  business,"  he 
said,  with  a  strong  twitch  of  his  shoulders. 

"  It 's  rather  a  start,  no  doubt,"  said  Huish. 
"  Tyke  a  dip  of  ink.  That 's  it.  Willia?n  John 
Hattwater,  Esq.,  Sir :  "  he  dictated. 

"  How  do  you  know  his  name  is  William  John  ?  " 
asked  Davis. 

"  Saw  it  on  a  packing-case,"  said  Huish.  "  Got 
that?" 

"  No,"  said  Davis.  "  But  there  's  another  thing. 
What  are  we  to  write  ? " 


l88  THE   EBB   TIDE. 

"  Oh,  my  golly  ! "  cried  the  exasperated  Huish. 
"Wot  kind  of  man  do  you  call  yourself?  I'm 
goin'  to  tell  you  wot  to  write  —  that's  my  pitch  — 
if  you  '11  just  be  so  bloomin'  condescendin'  as  to 
write  it  down !  William  John  Hattwafer,  Esq., 
Sir:  "  he  reiterated.  And  the  captain  at  last  begin- 
ning half  mechanically  to  move  his  pen,  the  dictation 
proceeded  :  "  //  is  with  feelings  of  shy  me  and  ''art- 
felt  contrition  that  I  approach  you  after  the  yumil- 
iatin'  events  of  last  night.  Our  Mr.  ^Errick  has 
left  the  ship,  and  will  have  doubtless  comtnunicated 
to  you  the  nature  of  our  ''opes.  Needless  to  s'y, 
these  are  no  longer  possible.  Fate  ''as  declyred 
against  us,  and  we  bow  the  'ead.  Well  awyre  as 
I  am  of  the  just  suspicions  with  w''ich  I  am  re- 
garded, I  do  not  venture  to  solicit  thefyvour  of  an 
interview  for  myself j  but  in  order  to  put  an  e?id 
to  a  situytion  w'ich  must  be  equally  pyneful  to  all, 
I  ''ave  deputed  7ny  friend  and  partner,  Mr.  J.  L. 
Huish,  to  Vy  before  you  7ny  proposals,  and  w''ich 
by  their  moderytion  will,  I  trust,  be  found  to  merit 
your  attention.  Mr,  J.  L.  Huish  is  entirely  un- 
armed, I  swear  to  Gawd!  and  will ''old ''is  ''ands 
over  Hs  ''eadfrom  the  moment  he  begiits  to  approach 
you.     I  am  your  fythful  servant,  John  Dyvis.'''' 

Huish  read  the  letter  with  the  innocent  joy  of 
amateurs,  chuckled  gustfuUy  to  himself,  and  re- 
opened it  more  than  once  after  it  was  folded,  to 
repeat  the  pleasure,  —  Davis  meanwhile  sitting  inert 
and  heavily  frowning. 

Of   a  sudden  he  rose;    he  seemed  all  abroad 


DAVID   AND    GOLIATH.  I89 

«  No  !  "  he  cried.  "  No  !  It  can't  be  !  It 's  too 
much  !  It 's  damnation  !  God  would  never  for- 
give it." 

"  Well,  and  'oo  wants  him  to  ?  "  returned  Huish, 
shrill  with  fury.  "  You  were  damned  years  ago  for 
the  '  Sea  Rynger,'  and  said  so  yourself.  Well, 
then,  be  damned  for  something  else,  and  'old  your 
tongue." 

The  captain  looked  at  him  mistily.  "  No,"  he 
pleaded,  "  no,  old  man,  don't  do  it." 

"'Ere  now,"  said  Huish,  "  I  '11  give  you  my  ulti- 
mytum.  Go  or  st'y  w'ere  you  are ;  I  don't  mind  ; 
I  'm  goin'  to  see  that  man  and  chuck  this  vitriol  in 
his  eyes.  If  you  st'y  I  '11  go  alone ;  the  niggers 
will  likely  knock  me  on  the  'ead,  and  a  fat  lot 
you  '11  be  the  better  !  But  there  's  one  thing  sure  : 
I  '11  'ear  no  more  of  your  moonin',  mullygrubbin' 
rot,  and  tyke  it  stryte." 

The  captain  took  it  with  a  blink  and  a  gulp. 
Memory,  with  phantom  voices,  repeated  in  his  ears 
something  similar,  something  he  had  once  said  to 
Herrick,  years  ago,  it  seemed. 

"  Now,  gimme  over  your  pistol,"  said  Huish. 
"  I  'ave  to  see  all  clear.  Six  shots,  and  mind  you 
don't  wyste  them." 

The  captain,  like  a  man  in  a  nightmare,  laid 
down  his  revolver  on  the  table,  and  Huish  wiped 
the  cartridges  and  oiled  the  works. 

It  was  close  on  noon:  there  was  no  breath  of 
wind,  and  the  heat  was  scarce  bearable  when  the 
two  men  came  on  deck,  had  the  boat  manned,  and 


igo  THE   EBB   TIDE. 

passed  down,  one  after  another,  into  the  stern- 
sheets.  A  white  shirt  at  the  end  of  an  oar  served 
as  a  flag  of  truce ;  and  the  men,  by  direction,  and 
to  give  it  the  better  chance  to  be  observed,  pulled 
with  extreme  slowness.  The  isle  shook  before 
them  like  a  place  incandescent ;  on  the  face  of  the 
lagoon  blinding  copper  suns,  no  bigger  than  six- 
pences, danced  and  stabbed  them  in  the  eyeball. 
There  went  up  from  sand  and  sea,  and  even  from 
the  boat,  a  glare  of  scathing  brightness;  and  as 
they  could  only  peer  abroad  from  between  closed 
lashes,  the  excess  of  light  seemed  to  be  changed 
into  a  sinister  darkness,  comparable  to  that  of  a 
thunder-cloud  before  it  bursts. 

The  captain  had  come  upon  this  errand  for  any 
one  of  a  dozen  reasons,  the  last  of  which  was  de- 
sire for  its  success.  Superstition  rules  all  men; 
semi-ignorant  and  gross  natures,  like  that  of  Davis, 
it  rules  utterly.  For  murder  he  had  been  prepared ; 
but  this  horror  of  the  medicine  in  the  bottle  went 
beyond  him,  and  he  seemed  to  himself  to  be  part- 
ing the  last  strands  that  united  him  to  God.  The 
boat  carried  him  on  to  reprobation,  to  damnation ; 
and  he  suffered  himself  to  be  carried,  passively 
consenting,  silently  bidding  farewell  to  his  better 
self  and  his  hopes. 

Huish  sat  by  his  side  in  towering  spirits  that 
were  not  wholly  genuine.  Perhaps  as  brave  a 
man  as  ever  lived,  brave  as  a  weasel,  he  must  still 
reassure  himself  with  the  tones  of  his  own  voice ; 
he  must  play  his  part  to  exaggeration,  he  must  out- 


DAVID   AND   GOLIATH.  igi 

Herod  Herod,  insult  all  that  was  respectable,  and 
brave  all  that  was  formidable,  in  a  kind  of  despe- 
rate wager  with  himself.  So  the  young  soldier  may- 
jest  as  he  goes  into  the  battle ;  so  perhaps,  of  old, 
the  highwaymen  blasphemed  on  the  scaffold. 

"  Golly,  but  it 's  'ot !  "  said  he.  "  Cruel  'ot,  I  call 
it.  Nice  d'y  to  get  your  gruel  in  !  I  s'y,  you  know, 
it  must  feel  awf 'ly  pecuHar  to  get  bowled  over  on  a 
d'y  like  this.  I  'd  rather  have  it  on  a  cowld  and 
frusty  morning,  wouldn't  you?  [Singing.]  ''Ere 
we  go  round  the  mulberry  bush  on  a  cowld  and 
frosty  mornin\  [Spoken.]  Give  you  my  word, 
I  'ave  n't  thought  o'  that  in  ten  years ;  used  to  sing 
it  at  a  hinfant  school  in  'Ackney  —  'Ackney  Wick  it 
was.  [Singing.]  This  is  the  way  the  tyler  does,  the 
tyler  does.  [Spoken.]  Bloomin"umbug.  'Oware 
you  off  now,  for  the  notion  of  a  future  styte  ?  Do 
you  cotton  to  the  tea-fight  view,  or  the  old  red-'ot 
Boguey  business  ?  " 

"  Oh,  dry  up ! "  said  the  captain. 

"  No,  but  I  want  to  know,"  said  Huish.  "  It 's 
within  the  sp'ere  of  practical  politics  for  you  and 
me,  my  boy;  we  may  both  be  bowled  over,  one  up, 
t'  other  down,  within  the  next  ten  minutes.  It 
would  be  rather  a  lark,  now,  if  you  only  skipped 
across,  came  up  smilin'  t'  other  side,  and  a  hangel 
met  you  with  a  B.  and  S.  under  his  wing.  'Ullo, 
you  'd  s'y :  'come  !  I  tyke  this  kind." 

The  captain  groaned.  While  Huish  was  thus 
airing  and  exercising  his  bravado,  the  man  at  his 
side  was  actually  engaged    in    prayer.      Prayer, 


192  THE   EBB   TIDE. 

what  for  ?  God  knows.  But  out  of  his  inconsist- 
ent, illogical,  agitated  spirit,  a  stream  of  suppli- 
cation was  poured  forth,  inarticulate  as  himself* 
earnest  as  death  and  judgment. 

"  Thou  Gawd  seest  me !  "  continued  Huish.  "  I 
remember  I  had  that  written  in  my  Bible.  I  re- 
member the  Bible,  too,  all  about  Abinadab  and 
parties.  Well,  Gawd!"  said  he,  apostrophizing 
the  meridian,  "you're  goin'  to  see  a  rum  start 
presently,  I  promise  you  that ! " 

The  captain  bounded. 

"  I  '11  have  no  blasphemy !  "  he  cried,  "  no  blas- 
phemy in  my  boat." 

"All  right,  cap,"  said  Huish.  "Anything  to 
oblige.  Any  other  topic  you  would  like  to  sug- 
gest, the  ryne-gyge,  the  lightnin'  rod,  Shykespeare, 
or  the  musical  glasses.?  'Ere's  conversytion  on 
tap.  Put  a  penny  in  the  slot,  and  —  'ullo!  'ere 
they  are  ! "  he  cried.  "  Now  or  never !  Is  'e  goin' 
to  shoot?" 

And  the  little  man  straightened  himself  into  an 
alert  and  dashing  attitude,  and  looked  steadily  at 
the  enemy. 

But  the  captain  rose  half  up  in  the  boat,  with 
eyes  protruding. 

"  What 's  that  ?  "  he  cried. 

"  Wot 's  wot  ?  "  said  Huish. 

"  Those  blamed  things,"  said  the  captain. 

And  indeed  it  was  something  strange.  Herrick 
and  Attwater,  both  armed  with  Winchesters,  had 
appeared  out  of  the  grove  behind  the  figure-head ; 


DAVID  AND  GOLIATH.  193 

and  to  either  hand  of  them,  the  sun  ghstened  upon 
two  metallic  objects,  locomotory  like  men,  and 
occupying  in  the  economy  of  these  creatures  the 
places  of  heads,  —  only  the  heads  were  faceless. 
To  Davis,  hit  between  wind  and  water,  his  mythol- 
ogy appeared  to  have  come  alive,  and  Tophet  to 
be  vomiting  demons.  But  Huish  was  not  mystified 
a  moment. 

"  Divers'  'elmets,  you  ninny  !  Can't  you  see  ?  " 
he  said. 

"  So  they  are,"  said  Davis,  with  a  gasp.  "  And 
why  ?     Oh,  I  see,  it 's  for  armor." 

"  Wot  did  I  tell  you  ?  "  said  Huish.  "  Dyvid  and 
Goliar  all  the  w'y  and  back." 

The  two  natives  (for  they  it  was  that  were  equipped 
in  this  unusual  panoply  of  war)  spread  out  to  right 
and  left,  and  at  last  lay  down  in  the  shade,  on  the 
extreme  flank  of  the  position.  Even  now  that  the 
mystery  was  explained,  Davis  was  hatefully  pre- 
occupied, stared  at  the  flame  on  their  crests,  and 
forgot,  and  then  remembered  with  a  smile,  the  ex- 
planation. 

Attwater  withdrew  again  into  the  grove,  and 
Herrick,  with  his  gun  under  his  arm,  came  down 
the  pier  alone.  About  half  way  down  he  halted 
and  hailed  the  boat. 

"  What  do  you  want  ?  "  he  cried. 

"  I  '11  tell  that  to  Mr.  Attwater,"  replied  Huish, 
stepping  briskly  on  the  ladder.  "  I  don't  tell  it 
to  you,  because  you  plyed  the  trucklin'  sneak. 
Here  's  a  letter  for  him ;  tyke  it,  and  give  it,  and 
be  'anged  to  you  !  " 

13 


194  THE   EBB    TIDE. 

"  Davis,  is  this  all  right  ?  "  said  Herrick. 

Davis  raised  his  chin,  glanced  swiftly  at  Herrick 
and  away  again,  and  held  his  peace.  The  glance 
was  charged  with  some  deep  emotion,  but  whether 
of  hatred  or  fear,  it  was  beyond  Herrick  to  divine. 

"  Well,"  he  said,  "  I  '11  give  the  letter."  He  drew 
a  score  with  his  foot  on  the  boards  of  the  gangway. 
"  Till  I  bring  the  answer,  don't  move  a  step  past 
this." 

And  he  returned  to  where  Attwater  leaned  against 
a  tree,  and  gave  him  the  letter.  Attwater  glanced 
it  through. 

"  What  does  that  mean  ?  "  he  asked,  passing  it  to 
Herrick.     "  Treachery  ?  " 

"  Oh,  I  suppose  so,"  said  Herrick. 

"Well,  tell  him  to  come  on,"  said  Attwater. 
"  One  is  n't  a  fatalist  for  nothing.  Tell  him  to 
come  on  and  to  look  out." 

Herrick  returned  to  the  figure-head.  Half  way 
down  the  pier  the  clerk  was  waiting,  with  Davis 
by  his  side. 

"  You  are  to  come  along,  Huish,"  said  Herrick. 
"He  bids  you  look  out,  no  tricks." 

Huish  walked  briskly  up  the  pier,  and  paused 
face  to  face  with  the  young  man. 

"  Were  is  'e  ?  "  said  he,  and  to  Herrick's  sur- 
prise, the  low-bred,  insignificant  face  before  him 
flushed  suddenly  crimson  and  went  white  again. 

"  Right  forward,"  said  Herrick,  pointing.  "  Now, 
your  hands  above  your  head." 

The  clerk  turned  away  from  him  and  toward  the 


DAVID    AND    GOLIATH.  195 

figure  head,  as  though  he  were  about  to  address  to 
it  his  devotions  —  he  was  seen  to  heave  a  deep 
breath  —  and  raised  his  arms.  In  common  with 
many  men  of  his  unhappy  physical  endowments, 
Huish's  hands  were  disproportionately  long  and 
broad,  and  the  palms  in  particular  enormous ;  a 
four-ounce  jar  was  nothing  in  that  capacious  fist. 
The  next  moment  he  was  plodding  steadily  forward 
on  his  mission. 

Herrick  at  first  followed.  Then  a  noise  in  his 
rear  startled  him,  and  he  turned  about,  to  find 
Davis  already  advanced  as  far  as  the  figure-head. 
He  came,  crouching  and  open-mouthed,  as  the 
mesmerized  may  follow  the  mesmerizer ;  all  human 
considerations,  and  even  the  care  of  his  own  life, 
swallowed  up  in  one  abominable  and  burning 
curiosity. 

"  Halt ! "  cried  Herrick,  covering  him  with  his 
rifle.  "  Davis,  what  are  you  doing,  man  ?  Vou  are 
not  to  come." 

Davis  instinctively  paused,  and  regarded  him 
with  a  dreadful  vacancy  of  eye. 

"  Put  your  back  to  that  figure-head,  do  you  hear 
me  ?  and  stand  fast !  "  said  Herrick. 

The  captain  fetched  a  breath,  stepped  back 
against  the  figure-head,  and  instantly  redirected 
his  glances  after  Huish. 

There  was  a  hollow  place  of  the  sand  in  that 
part,  and  as  it  were  a  glade  among  the  cocoa- 
palms,' in  which  the  direct  noonday  sun  blazed 
intolerably.     At  the  far  end,  in  the  shadow,  the 


196  THE    EBB   TIDE. 

tall  figure  of  Attwater  was  to  be  seen  leaning  on 
a  tree.  Toward  him,  with  his  hands  over  his 
head,  and  his  steps  smothered  in  the  sand,  the 
clerk  painfully  waded.  The  surrounding  glare 
threw  out  and  exaggerated  the  man's  smallness ; 
it  seemed  no  less  perilous  an  enterprise,  this 
that  he  was  gone  upon,  than  for  a  whelp  to 
besiege  a  citadel. 

"  There,  Mr.  Whish.  That  will  do,"  cried  Att- 
water. "  From  that  distance,  and  keeping  your 
hands  up  like  a  good  boy,  you  can  very  well  put 
me  in  possession  of  the  skipper's  views." 

The  interval  betwixt  them  was  perhaps  forty 
feet;  and  Huish  measured  it  with  his  eye,  and 
breathed  a  curse.  He  was  already  distressed  with 
laboring  in  the  loose  sand,  and  his  arms  ached 
bitterly  from  their  unnatural  position.  In  the 
palm  of  his  right  hand,  the  jar  was  ready ;  and  his 
heart  thrilled,  and  his  voice  choked,  as  he  began  to 
speak. 

"  Mr.  Hattwater,"  said  he,  "  I  don't  know  if  ever 
you  'ad  a  mother  —  " 

"  I  can  set  your  mind  at  rest :  I  had,"  returned 
Attwater.  "  And  henceforth,  if  I  might  venture  to 
suggest  it,  her  name  need  not  recur  in  our  com- 
munications. I  should  perhaps  tell  you  that  I  am 
not  amenable  to  the  pathetic." 

"  I  am  sorry,  sir,  if  I  'ave  seemed  to  tresparse  on 
your  private  feelin's,"  said  the  clerk,  cringing  and 
stealing  a  step.  "  At  least,  sir,  you  will  never 
pe'suade  me  that  you  are  not  a  perfec'  gentleman. 


DAVID   AND   GOLIATH.  I97 

I  know  a  gentleman  when  I  see  him ;  and  as  such, 
I  'ave  no  'esitation  in  throwin'  myself  on  your  mer- 
ciful consideration.  It zs  'ard  lines,  no  doubt;  it 's 
'ard  Hnes  to  have  to  hown  yourself  beat ;  it 's  'ard 
lines  to  'ave  to  come  and  beg  to  you  for  charity." 

"  When,  if  things  had  only  gone  right,  the  whole 
place  was  as  good  as  your  own  ? "  suggested  Att- 
water.     "  I  can  understand  the  feeling." 

"You  are  judging  me,  Mr.  Attwater,"  said  the 
clerk,  "  and  Gawd  knows  how  unjustly !  '  T^ou 
Gawd  seest  ine^  was  the  tex '  I  'ad  in  my  Bible, 
w'ich  my  father  wrote  it  in  with  'is  own  'and  upon 
the  fly  leaft " 

"  I  am  sorry  I  have  to  beg  your  pardon  once 
more,"  said  Attwater;  "but  do  you  know,  you 
seem  to  me  to  be  a  trifle  nearer,  which  is  entirely 
outside  of  our  bargain.  And  I  would  venture  to 
suggest  that  you  take  one — two  —  three  —  steps 
back  ;  and  stay  there." 

The  devil,  at  this  staggering  disappointment, 
looked  out  of  Huish's  face,  and  Attwater  was  swift 
to  suspect.  He  frowned,  he  stared  on  the  little 
man,  and  considered.  Why  should  he  be  creep- 
ing nearer  t  The  next  moment  his  gun  was  at  his 
shoulder. 

"  Kindly  oblige  me  by  opening  your  hands. 
Open  your  hands  wide  —  let  me  see  the  fingers 
spread,  you  dog  —  throw  down  that  thing  you're 
holding !  "  he  roared,  his  rage  and  certitude  in- 
creasing together. 

And  then,  at  almost  the  same  moment,  the  in- 


198  THE   EBB   TIDE. 

domitable  Huish  decided  to  throw,  and  Attwater 
pulled  the  trigger.  There  was  scarce  the  differ- 
ence of  a  second  between  the  two  resolves,  but  it 
was  in  favor  of  the  man  with  the  rifle ;  and  the  jar 
had  not  yet  left  the  clerk's  hand,  before  the  ball 
shattered  both.  For  the  twinkling  of  an  eye,  the 
wretch  was  in  hell's  agonies,  bathed  in  liquid 
flames,  a  screaming  bedlamite  ;  and  then  a  second 
and  more  merciful  bullet  stretched  him  dead. 

The  whole  thing  was  come  and  gone  in  a  breath. 
Before  Herrick  could  turn  about,  before  Davis 
could  complete  his  cry  of  horror,  the  clerk  lay  in 
the  sand,  sprawling  and  convulsed. 

Attwater  ran  to  the  body  ;  he  stooped  and  viewed 
it;  he  put  his  finger  in  the  vitriol,  and  his  face 
whitened  and  hardened  with  anger. 

Davis  had  not  yet  moved  ;  he  stood  astonished, 
with  his  back  to  the  figure-head,  his  hands  clutch- 
ing it  behind  him,  his  body  inclined  forward  from 
the  waist.  Attwater  turned  deliberately  and  covered 
him  with  his  rifle. 

"  Davis,"  he  cried,  in  a  voice  like  a  trumpet,  "  I 
give  you  sixty  seconds  to  make  your  peace  with 
God." 

Davis  looked,  and  his  mind  awoke.  He  did  not 
dream  of  self-defence,  he  did  not  reach  for  his  pistol. 
He  drew  himself  up  instead  to  face  death,  with  a 
quivering  nostril. 

"  I  guess  I  'II  not  trouble  the  Old  Man,"  he  said. 
"  Considering  the  job  I  was  on,  I  guess  it 's  better 
business  to  just  shut  my  face." 


DAVID    AND   GOLIATH.  I99 

Attwater  fired ;  there  came  a  spasmodic  move- 
ment of  the  victim,  and  immediately  above  the 
middle  of  his  forehead,  a  black  hole  marred  the 
whiteness  of  the  figure-head.  A  dreadful  pause ; 
then  again  the  report,  and  the  solid  sound  and  jar 
of  the  bullet  in  the  wood ;  and  this  time  the  captain 
had  felt  the  wind  of  it  along  his  cheek.  A  third 
shot,  and  he  was  bleeding  from  one  ear  ;  and  along 
the  levelled  rifle,  Attwater  smiled  Uke  a  red  Indian. 

The  cruel  game  of  which  he  was  the  puppet  was 
now  clear  to  Davis ;  three  times  he  had  drunk  of 
death,  and  he  must  look  to  drink  of  it  seven  times 
more  before  he  was  despatched.  He  held  up  his 
hand. 

"  Steady ! "  he  cried,  "  I  '11  take  your  sixty 
seconds." 

*'  Good  !  "  said  Attwater. 

The  captain  shut  his  eyes  tight,  like  a  child ;  he 
held  his  hands  up  at  last  with  a  tragic  and  ridiculous 
gesture. 

"  My  God,  for  Christ's  sake,  look  after  my  two 
kids,"  he  said ;  and  then  after  a  pause  and  a  falter, 
"for  Christ's  sake.     Amen." 

And  he  opened  his  eyes  and  looked  down  the 
rifle  with  a  quivering  mouth. 

"  But  don't  keep  fooling  me  long  !  "  he  pleaded. 

"  That  all  your  prayer  ?  "  asked  Attwater,  with  a 
singular  ring  in  his  voice. 

"  Guess  so,"  said  Davis. 

"  So  ? "  said  Attwater,  resting  the  butt  of  his  rifle, 
on  the  ground,  "  is  that  done  ?    Is  your  peace  made 


200  THE   EBB   TIDE. 

with  Heaven?  Because  it  is  with  me.  Go,  and 
sin  no  more,  sinful  father.  And  remember  that 
whatever  you  do  to  others,  God  shall  visit  it  again 
a  thousand  fold  upon  your  innocents." 

The  wretched  Davis  came  staggering  forward 
from  his  place  against  the  figure-head,  fell  upon  his 
knees,  and  waved  his  hands  and  fainted. 

When  he  came  to  himself  again,  his  head  was  on 
Attwater's  arm,  and  close  by  stood  one  of  the  men 
in  divers'  helmets,  holding  a  bucket  of  water,  from 
which  his  late  executioner  now  laved  his  face.  The 
memory  of  that  dreadful  passage  returned  upon 
him  in  a  clap ;  again  he  saw  Huish  lying  dead, 
again  he  seemed  to  himself  to  totter  on  the  brink  of 
an  unplumbed  eternity.  With  trembling  hands  he 
seized  hold  of  the  man  whom  he  had  come  to  slay ; 
and  his  voice  broke  from  him  like  that  of  a  child 
among  the  nightmares  of  fever :  "  Oh  !  is  n't  there 
no  mercy .''  Oh  !  what  must  I  do  to  be  saved  ? " 

"  Ah !  "  thought  Attwater,  "  here  is  the  true 
penitent." 


CHAPTER  XII. 

A   TAIL-PIECE. 


o 


N  a  very  bright,  hot,  lusty,  strongly  blowing 
noon,  a  fortnight  after  the  events  recorded,  and  a 
month  since  the  curtain  rose  upon  this  episode,  a 
man  might  have  been  spied  praying  on  the  sand 
by  the  lagoon  beach.  A  point  of  palm-trees  iso- 
lated him  from  the  settlement ;  and  from  the  place 
where  he  knelt,  the  only  work  of  man's  hand  that 
interrupted  the  expanse  was  the  schooner  'Far- 
allone,'  her  berth  quite  changed,  and  rocking  at 
anchor  some  two  miles  to  windward  in  the  midst  of 
the  lagoon.  The  noise  of  the  Trade  ran  very  bois- 
terous in  all  parts  of  the  island ;  the  nearer  palm- 
trees  crashed  and  whistled  in  the  gusts,  those  far- 
ther off  contributed  a  humming  bass,  like  the  roar 
of  cities ;  and  yet,  to  any  man  less  absorbed,  there 
must  have  risen  at  times  over  this  turmoil  of  the 
winds  the  sharper  note  of  the  human  voice  from  the 
settlement.  There  all  was  activity.  Attwater, 
stripped  to  his  trousers  and  lending  a  strong  hand 
of  help,  was  directing  and  encouraging  five  Kana- 
kas; from  his  lively  voice,  and  their  more  lively 
efforts,  it  was  to  be  gathered  that  some  sudden  and 


202  THE   EBB    TIDE. 

joyful  emergency  had  set  them  in  this  bustle ;  and 
the  "  Union  Jack  "  floated  once  more  on  its  staff. 
But  the  suppliant  on  the  beach,  unconscious  of 
their  voices,  prayed  on  with  instancy  and  fervor, 
and  the  sound  of  his  voice  rose  and  fell  again,  and 
his  countenance  brightened  and  was  deformed  with 
changing  moods  of  piety  and  terror. 

Before  his  closed  eyes,  the  skiff  had  been  for 
some  time  tacking  towards  the  distant  and  deserted 
'  Farallone ; '  and  presently  the  figure  of  Herrick 
might  have  been  observed  to  board  her,  to  pass  for 
a  while  into  the  house,  thence  forward  to  the  fore- 
castle, and  at  last  to  plunge  into  the  main  hatch. 
In  all  these  quarters,  his  visit  was  followed  by  a 
coil  of  smoke ;  and  he  had  scarce  entered  his  boat 
again  and  shoved  off,  before  flames  broke  forth 
upon  the  schooner.  They  burned  gayly;  kero- 
sene had  not  been  spared,  and  the  bellows  of  the 
Trade  incited  the  conflagration.  About  half- 
way on  the  return  voyage,  when  Herrick  looked 
back,  he  beheld  the  '  Farallone '  wrapped  to  the 
topmasts  in  leaping  arms  of  fire,  and  the  volumi- 
nous smoke  pursuing  him  along  the  face  of  the  la- 
goon. In  one  hour's  time,  he  computed,  the  waters 
would  have  closed  over  the  stolen  ship. 

It  so  chanced  that,  as  his  boat  flew  before  the 
wind  with  much  vivacity,  and  his  eyes  were  con- 
tinually busy  m  the  wake,  measuring  the  progress 
of  the  flames,  he  found  himself  embayed  to  the 
northward  of  the  point  of  palms,  and  here  became 
aware  at  the  same  time  of  the  figure  of  Davis  ira- 


A   TAIL-PIECE.  203 

mersed  in  his  devotion.  An  exclamation,  part  of 
annoyance,  part  of  amusement,  broke  from  him, 
and  he  touched  the  helm  and  ran  the  prow  upon 
the  beach  not  twenty  feet  from  the  unconscious 
devotee.  Taking  the  painter  in  his  hand,  he 
landed,  drew  near,  and  stood  over  him.  And  still 
the  voluble  and  incoherent  stream  of  prayer  con- 
tinued unabated.  It  was  not  possible  for  him 
to  overhear  the  suppliant's  petitions,  which  he 
listened  to  some  while  in  a  very  mingled  mood  of 
humor  and  pity,  and  it  was  only  when  his  own 
name  began  to  occur  and  to  be  conjoined  with 
epithets,  that  he  at  last  laid  his  hand  on  the  cap- 
tain's shoulder. 

"  Sorry  to  interrupt  the  exercise,"  said  he,  "but 
I  want  you  to  look  at  the  '  Farallone. '  " 

The  captain  scrambled  to  his  feet,  and  stood 
gasping  and  staring.  "  Mr.  Herrick,  don't  startle 
a  man  like  that !  "  he  said.  "  I  don't  seem  some- 
ways  rightly  myself  since  —  "  he  broke  off.  "  What 
did  you  say,  anyway  ?  Oh,  the  '  Farallone,'  "  and 
he  looked  languidly  out. 

"  Yes,"  said  Herrick,  "  there  she  burns  ;  and  you 
may  guess  from  that  what  the  news  is." 

"  The  'Trinity  Hall,'  I  guess,"  said  the  captain. 

"  The  same,"  said  Herrick,  "  sighted  half  an  hour 
ago,  and  coming  up  hand  over  fist." 

"  Well,  it  don't  amount  to  a  hill  of  beans,"  said 
the  captain,  with  a  sigh. 

"Oh,  come,  that's  rank  ingratitude!"  cried 
Herrick. 


204  THE   EBB   TIDE. 

"  Well,"  replied  the  captain,  meditatively,  "  you 
may  n't  just  see  the  way  that  I  view  it  in,  but  I  'd 
'most  rather  stay  here  upon  this  island.  I  found 
peace  here,  peace  in  believing.  Yes,  I  guess  this 
island  is  about  good  enough  for  John  Davis." 

"  I  never  heard  such  nonsense  !  "  cried  Herrick. 
"  What !  with  all  turning  out  in  your  favor  the  way 
it  does,  —  the  '  Farallone  '  wiped  out,  the  crew  dis- 
posed of,  a  sure  thing  for  your  wife  and  family,  and 
you  yourself  Attwater's  spoiled  darling  and  pet 
penitent ! " 

"  Now,  Mr.  Herrick,  don't  say  that,"  said  the  cap- 
tain, gently,  "  when  you  know  he  don't  make  no 
difference  between  us.  But,  oh,  why  not  be  one 
of  us  ?  Why  not  come  to  Jesus  right  away,  and 
let 's  meet  in  yon  beautiful  land  ?  That 's  just  the 
one  thing  wanted ;  just  say  *  Lord,  I  believe,  help 
Thou  mine  unbelief ! '  and  He  '11  fold  you  in  His 
arms.    You  see,  I  know  ;  I  been  a  sinner  myself." 


THE  END. 


THE   PRINTING   WAS    DONE   AT  THE 

UNIVERSITY    PRESS    AT    CAMBRIDGE 

FOR    STONE    AND    KIMBALL 

.     MAY    1894    • 


/»9V 


jsaBOBOnnseEs-' 


